Home
by Katiesmom07
Summary: Grissom and Sara are forced to take built up vacation. Will this time off together bring them closer together? Will they overcome the obstacles in their way? GSR. Some spoilers including season six finale.
1. Chapter 1

1

The CSI's all sat in the break room, waiting for Ecklie to get there and start his 'emergency' meeting. Everything was back to normal now that Brass had recovered and been released from the hospital. Greg and Nick chatted about the previous night's football game. Grissom did his daily crossword, Sara was reading a case-file and Catherine was making a mental list of everything she needed to pick up for Lindsay's sleepover this weekend.

After a few minutes, Ecklie strolled in with a stack of papers in his hand. "Hello, Everyone." A round of 'heys' and 'hellos' followed, most unenthusiastic. "I know you all are busy, but I have some news. I received this memo yesterday and I need to pass it on to all of you." Ecklie passed a copy of the memo to each of the CSI's. "I spent time reviewing everyone's file after I received this. I'd like you all to read it, but basically, it says that the vacation time policy is being rewritten. We used to be able to bank an unlimited amount of vacation time, with no risk of losing it. This policy is being changed so that, effective immediately, we can only bank ten weeks at a time. This doesn't affect most of you, because most of us have lives and actually use our vacation time, but there are a couple."

Sara was the first to voice her opinion. "So, what? If we have more than ten weeks banked we lose it immediately?"

"No it doesn't work that way. If you read the memo, it explains that upon having banked more than ten weeks, you are to immediately take that time off."

Sara's voice rose. "What? You mean we can't just give it up?"

"No, evidently, that would be against policy."

"So, what are we supposed to do, exactly?"

"Well, Sara, you would have to take the time off, and make sure you never go over ten weeks. According to policy, I am to keep tract of this. If you show up to work and have more than ten weeks in your bank, I have to send you home."

This time Grissom interjected, "So when does this start, Ecklie?"

"Right now."

Grissom and Sara were in unison this time, "What?"

"I know this is a shock to the two of you. Do either of you know how much vacation you have banked up?" Without giving them a chance to respond, "Sara, you have 16 weeks. And Grissom, you're just lucky you turned in ten days to go to that entomology convention a couple months ago. That brings you down to 17 weeks."

"So, if I understand you correctly, since I have 16 weeks banked, you have to send me home today, for six weeks?"

"Sara, just think of it this way, you get all the holidays off. Thanksgiving is next week. You'll be off until the end of January."

"Don't you mean the beginning of January?"

"No, I mean the end of January. You have six extra weeks now, and then you get three more the first of the year that you have to use also."

Sara stood and started yelling now, "Nine weeks? Grissom! Do something! You can't let him do this to us!"

Grissom, somehow holding his composure, didn't raise his voice, but stood to face Sara, "Sara, there's nothing I can do. It's policy. Trust me, I don't like this anymore than you. I have to take ten weeks!" Then, as if a light went on in his head, "Conrad, isn't there a policy where you can only take so many days of consecutive vacation…or something like that?"

"Actually, there is. But, if you read the memo, it says that these are special circumstances. That policy will be 'overlooked' for right now."

Grissom continued, "How convenient. Just how many people does this effect, Conrad?"

"Well, in this portion of the lab, You, Sidle and Sanders."

"Me?"

"Yes, Sanders. Somehow, you have one extra day. You have to use that one day, today and then before the New Year, you have to use three more weeks. Whatever portion of those three weeks, you don't use between now and the New Year, just stay home until they're used up. Besides them, the rest of you have not reached ten weeks. Any questions?"

Greg spoke up, "Yeah! If Grissom and Sara are both going to be gone, who's gonna be shift supervisor?"

"There will have to be some changes made for a while. Catherine will be acting supervisor of grave shift. Anything else?"

Sara pleaded again, "Grissom?"

"I'm sorry, Sara, there's nothing I can do." Sara turned and stormed out of the lab. "Uh…Conrad?"

"Yes, Gil?"

"Why exactly is this new policy in place?"

"Remember Tomer from days?"

"Yeah, he retired three weeks ago."

"Yes. And he's still getting paid right now."

"So?"

"And he'll keep getting paid for another year-and-a-half."

"What?"

"Evidently, he's never taken a vacation since he started working here." There were a few whistles and 'wows' around the room. "They don't want that to happen again, so…this is it! Okay everybody, back to work. Sanders, see you tomorrow. Grissom, I'll need you to brief Catherine on all of your cases before you go. Also, let her know about any paperwork that you have that hasn't been done. Then, I'll see ya next year." Conrad turned and left and the rest of the crew stood to say bye to Grissom.

Nick was first in line, "Gonna miss you around here, but have fun. Hey, you know where we all get together to have breakfast on Fridays. You should come by." After a hug, Nick went back to work.

"Hey, Warrick, you help Catherine keep everybody in line."

"No prob, Gris! See ya at breakfast, Man." A handshake followed and Rick was out.

"Can I feed your tarantula while your gone, or are you taking him with?"

"If it means that much to you, Greg, I'll leave him here. But you take good care of him, and don't give Catherine a hard time."

"Yes, Sir!" Greg gave a fake salute and ran out of the office yelling, "Yes!"

That left Catherine, still seated in her chair. "You're taking this awfully well!"

"Well, it looks as though I don't have a choice."

"What are you gonna do for ten weeks?"

"Uh…I have no idea."

Catherine stood and walked over to him. "If I were you, I'd start with finding Sara and talking to her."

"I guess you're right."

"Yep! I usually am."

When they entered his office, she sat in the chair behind his desk, "Moving right in, huh?"

"Huh! Yeah, I guess. You know, you're supposed to actually _do_ paperwork, as a supervisor."

"Yeah, well, that's what they tell me, but I'm not really good at it."

"Well, don't bother briefing me. I get it. None of it's done."

"Great! I think you're pretty up-to-date on all our cases. What you don't know, one of the guys does. Anything else, just call me!"

"Call you? You'll be on vacation."

"So?"

"Never mind! Anything else?"

"Nope, I think that's it. See you next year. Good luck!"

"Thanks. I'll try to have this desk cleared before you get back. Have a nice vacation." Catherine got up and hugged him. "Have fun Gil!" She backed away to look in his eyes, "Really! Maybe this is what you need. You've been stressed lately…out of sorts. Maybe what you need is to just go and have fun. Do you know what fun is?"

"The dictionary definition is to…"

"No! Not the definition, Gil. Do you know how to _have_ fun?"

"I guess…I guess I'll figure it out!" With his little quirky smile, Grissom left to start his, probably much-needed, but dreaded vacation. First step, find Sara.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Sara was home, already changed into her sweats and sitting in front of her computer. What exactly was she going to do for nine weeks? Most people would kill for nine weeks off with pay. But those people had spouses or at least boyfriends and girlfriends to spend the time with. She didn't even have many friends to do anything with. Ever since Hank, she hadn't thought much about dating. Well…she thought about dating Grissom, but that was nothing new.

Grissom…just another of her struggles in life. He liked to ride roller coasters, and her was her roller coaster. Their whole relationship was like one big roller coaster. In college, they were up. He moved to Vegas, and they were down. Then she got the call from him to come to Vegas to do an internal investigation for him. That call shocked her, but not nearly as much as when he asked her to stay. Was he finally starting to need her? So, for a while, it was a level ride. Then there was the subtle flirting, and back up they went. But still, when she asked him to dinner, all she got was a big fat no and another ride down.

And now, they had nine weeks off, together, and she would probably never even see him. They could be spending time getting to really know each other. They'd be away from the lab. No one would be there to see anything. There would be no jeopardy to their jobs. Just two people, having a nice time together. Maybe she'd call him.

So she wouldn't lose her nerve, she stood straight up and walked to the phone. But, mid-dial, someone knocked on her door. It just wasn't meant to be.

A second knock at the door startled her back to reality. She walked to the door and gasped out loud when she saw Grissom's face through her peephole. She opened the door, "Well, you never come here for anything good."

"Hello to you also, Sara."

"Sorry."

"I was just coming by to see if you were okay."

"Wanna come in?"

"I…sure I guess that would be fine."

Sara rolled her eyes as he walked past her. Deciding to keep up her nerve up, she continued, "I was just about to call you, actually."

"You were?"

"Yeah. Do you want something to drink?"

"I won't be staying long."

"Of course you won't. Well…drinking doesn't require a long visit."

"Fine, I would love some juice if you have any."

Sara chuckled. "Orange, tomato or grapefruit?"

"Grapefruit."

"Why don't you have a seat in the living room?"

Sara walked into the kitchen and Grissom walked into what Sara called her living room. He'd been in her apartment before. And she was right; it was always for a bad reason. The first time was to bring her home after her 'almost' DUI and the second was for her 'almost' firing. This is the first time, though, that he actually looked around. Her apartment had one very big living space. She had divided it nicely into a living room area and a den. There were bookcases filled with books of every kind. The computer was on a small desk. He walked to the desk and saw that she had 'Google' up, but nothing was typed in the search area. He walked from there over to her living room. She had a television with various other electronics hooked to it. A love seat and a matching chair, two end tables and a coffee table completed her living room. Looking around, he saw no photographs on the walls, only a few pieces of art. He sat down and noticed the entomology textbook he'd given her one Christmas sitting on the coffee table. He picked it up and stared at it.

Sara walked into the living room and smiled when she saw Grissom sitting in the chair, not the loveseat. As far away as possible form human contact.

"I read that in the morning when I come home from work. Here's your juice."

"I figured you would have read it already."

"I have."

"So…you're reading it again?"

"No."

"But you said you'd already read it."

"But to say I am reading it again, it would imply that I stopped reading it, which I haven't. When I get to the end, I start over. Therefore, I am not reading it again, just…still."

"Why?"

"Because I like it."

"Oh…", changing the subject, he put the book down, "So, you were just about to call me?"

"Yes, I was."

"For what?"

"Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to do something."

"Something?"

"Yeah. You know, something…together."

"Oh."

"So?"

With a confused look, he asked, "So…what?"

"Would you like to do something…together?"

"Um…I…I don't think that would be a good idea, Sara."

"Look, it took a lot of nerve for me to ask you again. You turn me down every time I ask you to do…anything. You had to struggle just to walk in my door. I get the whole 'you don't know what to do about this'. That's fine! I'm not asking you to know everything, Grissom. I'm not asking you to commit yourself to me. Hell, I'm not even asking for a real date. All I'm asking is to spend some time with you. We both have nine weeks off…together. What is wrong with two friends spending time together?"

"Well…"

"Nothing, Grissom! There's nothing wrong with it."

"Sara…why dos this mean so much to you?"

Without saying a word, Sara stood, walked into her bedroom and came back holding a picture that she shoved in front of him. He took the picture as she hovered over him. After taking his glasses out of his pocket, he studied the photo. It was of Sara sitting on a rock. The ocean was behind her and there was sand at her feet.

After a few moments, she spoke, "Do you know what that is?"

"A picture of you."

"It's the _only_ picture I have in my apartment."

"I did notice that, yes."

"Do you know how sad that is, Grissom? The _only_ picture I have in my whole apartment is a picture of me…alone."

"I only have a picture of my mother."

"Do you know why I chose _that_ picture?"

He looked up at her then, "Because you like it the best? It reminds you of San Francisco."

"No, Grissom!" Sara crouched down in front of him. "No! I chose that picture because of who took it."

"Oh!"

"God, Grissom! You're clueless! YOU! YOU! You took the damn picture Grissom."

He studied the picture for a few moments longer. "The day I bumped into you at the beach."

"Yes! Do you remember that day?"

"Yes, actually I do. I was there giving a two-day lecture. I was taking a walk, and you were taking pictures of the sunrise. I saw you and, after we walked a little ways down the beach, you commented about how beautiful the sky and the ocean were. I told you I'd take your picture. Then we walked up to a nearby café and had breakfast. Then I walked you back to your car. You brought me a copy of one of the pictures you took of the sunrise to the next seminar you attended. It's hanging in my apartment."

She let him reflect on that for a few silent moments, "What was bad about that day?"

With a slight hesitation, "Nothing."

"See!"

"I know, Sara. But things are different now."

Sara stood, "Why?"

"Because now we work together."

"So!"

"Sara, be rational! Two people working together, and having…a relationship, is not…rational!"

"I believe the last time you were here, you told me I shouldn't rationalize so much."

"Well, in this case, you should."

"Grissom! You know what, never mind!" She snatched the picture from his hands and went back into her bedroom. She fell onto her bed in tears then she heard the door to her apartment open and shut.


	3. Chapter 3

3

Sara spent the next week cleaning her already clean apartment. She'd gone online a couple times toying with the idea of going away somewhere. But every time a place looked inviting, she found a paragraph about spending time with the person you love, or a lover's paradise, or a great place for a second honeymoon. Everything reminded her of Grissom. So instead, she was all about cleaning and renting movies. She'd gone to the grocery store to stock her fridge since she'd be home to eat more often. Her bill came to over $200. By the time she got everything home, she realized she'd bought enough food for almost the whole nine weeks she'd be off. It was a good reason to stay home; no vacation.

But she was running out of things to clean in her apartment. She was just about to order another pay-per-view movie when there was a knock at her door.

For the second time in a week, she was shocked to see Grissom's face through her peephole.

When she opened the door he held up his hands, "Please don't slam the door. May I come in?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm sorry." Sara moved aside, almost in shock. "Would it be rude if I asked for something to drink?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm just thirsty."

With a confused look on her face, she walked toward the kitchen and asked over her shoulder, "What would you like?"

"Coffee?"

She turned then, "I'd have to make a pot. That would require you staying in my apartment for at least twenty minutes."

"Is that all right with you?"

Without answering, she walked into the kitchen. When she came out, she saw that he'd hung his coat over the chair at her desk and was seated on the loveseat in the living room. She moved to sit in the chair.

"Would you mind sitting her, next to me?" Still stunned, Sara walked over to the loveseat and sat next to him. "Thank you."

"Who are you?"

"Uh…Gil Grissom…your supervisor…graveyard shift…"

"No, I know that. It's just that you're a totally different person than you were last week."

"Yes, well…I have spent the last week in my apartment, staring at this picture on my wall. I've had a lot of time to think."

"And?"

"And…I thought about what Catherine told me the day I left."

"And what was that?"

"She told me I should have fun. She even asked me if I knew what fun was. I tried to answer with the definition of fun, and she told me that she didn't want that, she wanted to know if I knew how to have fun."

"So?"

"So…I was staring at this picture I have on my wall."

"Of?"

"Of the sunrise over the ocean."

"The one I took."

"Yes. It was then that I realized that I do know how to have fun, or at least I used to. I had fun when we spent time together."

"Okay."

"Then I thought about our conversation last week. And, I realized I owed you an apology."

"For what?"

"Because we…and then I…but I didn't…" after his struggle with words, he finally found what he was searching for, "for hurting you."

"You haven't hurt me."

"Sara…"

"Okay, maybe a little."

"I've hurt you a lot. I don't know if you could ever forgive me, but I'm hoping you will."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you hoping I'll forgive you?"

"Because, I want to have fun."

She raised an eyebrow, "Fun?"

"Fun."

"And what would having fun have to do with me?"

"Because, I thought back in my life and I realized I haven't had all that much fun. There are actually only a few moments I can recall. Most of them involve riding roller coasters. Now, I did ride a coaster once with Warrick, but most of the time, I was by myself. I don't want to spend ten weeks riding roller coasters, so I'd like to try having fun the only other way I know how. And that would be when I'm with you."

She almost burst into tears right then. Instead she stood and walked to the kitchen. She came back a few moments later with two cups of coffee. "Black."

"Yes."

"That wasn't a question."

"Oh. Sooo?"

"So, I'm…stunned."

"Okay."

"Grissom, what do you want from me?"

"I'd like you…to have fun with me."

"Hah! Really?"

"Look, I'm not really good at this."

"I can see that. But I guess I just need more from you. This whole conversation has been about you. I need part of this to be about me."

"I thought this was what you wanted."

"No, Grissom. It's not what I want. I don't want to be your play toy. I don't want to be what you want to do, just because riding roller coasters might get monotonous after a couple weeks. I want to be a person you'd like to spend time with because…well, because it's me."

"Okay, I guess I'm not making my point quite the way I wanted to."

"Evidently not."

"Sara, what I'm trying to say, is that you bring joy to my life, like nothing else. I know that I don't show that very often…maybe at all, but you do. I thought back on my life, and when I thought of fun or joy, I thought of you. That's the reason I'd like to spend time with you."

Sara smiled, "Better."

"Thanks. So, does that mean you forgive me?"

"Yes."

With a big smile, "Good."

"So, what do you have in mind?"

He looked confused, "For what?"

"Fun."

"Oh! I was hoping you'd have ideas. This is kind of a new awakening for me."

"Well…how about we start simple?"

"Okay."

"It's almost dinner time. How about dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Is that too much?"

"No…no…"

"Then what's wrong? Too date-like?"

"Uh…"

"Look Grissom. We have to start over somewhere. I'm not expecting you to take me to a five-star restaurant. I'm not asking you to dress up. I'm not even asking you to pay for anything. I just thought that we could talk over dinner. If you aren't comfortable going out, I could make something."

"Oh…I guess…"

"Grissom, if this is going to be fun, you have to stop making it so hard."

"Sorry."

"And you have to stop apologizing."

"Okay."

"So…let's start with an easier question. Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"All right. Would you like to eat alone or would you like to eat with me at the same table?" Grissom laughed. "That's better. So?"

With a smirk, "I would love to have dinner with you."

"Great! Now, here's the hard one. Would you like to stay here and eat, or go out?" After a few moments of no response, "Grissom? What's wrong?"

"Well…"

"Grissom, you don't have to be afraid to talk to me. I won't get mad. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Um…I'm trying to decide whether it's a good idea if we're seen in public together."

Sara burst into laughter. "So, let me get this straight. We're supposed to have fun, but never go outside?"

With a grin, "It works for some people."

"Yeah, people who have…a different relationship than we do."

"Okay…so…out it is."

"Good. One more question. Where to?"


	4. Chapter 4

4

They chose a small Chinese restaurant and dinner went quite smoothly. They made the rule to not talk about work and instead, they talked about favorite books and movies. After dinner, which after a small argument, he paid for, they walked back to his car.

He hesitated before opening her door. "Sara, would you like to go see a movie or take a walk maybe?"

"I have seen about a billion sappy movies in the past week, I'd rather go for a walk. Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"What?"

"A lot of people might see us."

"Uh, that's okay."

"Good."

For the next week or so, their 'fun' consisted of walks and meals together. It wasn't until Thursday night that Grissom surprised her by asking if she'd mind coming to his place for dinner. She agreed and showed up at six like he asked. When she knocked, he yelled to come in. She'd only been in his townhouse a couple times while trying to solve the 'Strip Strangler' case. White walls with only a few pictures, mostly black and dark brown furniture, a very messy desk and books everywhere made up the whole ensemble. She found him in the kitchen mashing potatoes. The kitchen smelled delicious.

"Hello! I hope you're hungry."

"Starved! I brought wine. Anything I can do to help."

"The glasses are in the cupboard to the left of the sink and there's a salad and cranberry sauce in the fridge. I set the table in the dining area. I'll be out in just a minute."

"Okay." She took the wine and glasses to the table. She was surprised to find candles lit on the table and soft music playing in the background. Also, instead of his usual jeans and a t-shirt, Grissom had on a pair of Khakis and a polo shirt. She was glad she'd chosen slacks and dressier top. When she went back to get the salad and cranberry sauce, he also asked if she could carry in the basket of rolls on the counter. She managed to balance everything and went to the table. He joined her a few minutes later with a bowl of stuffing and a bowl of mashed potatoes. After going back to get another platter and a bowl of gravy he sat across from her.

"Happy Thanksgiving."

"I…uh…I totally forgot today was Thanksgiving. Thank you for this. It's, ah, been a long time since anyone's made me dinner. Even longer since I've had a nice Thanksgiving dinner."

"Well, you're welcome." Pointing to the platter, "This is vegetarian turkey. I got the recipe off the Internet. I hope you like it."

"You're going to eat it too?"

"Yes."

With a huge grin on her face, "Thank you, again."

"You're welcome again." They started filling their plates, "anyway, I owed you."

"For what?"

"Because I've had a great time this past week. Besides, I thought we could use a change. We've gone out to eat every night."

"Expensive? You know, I can pay for my own meals."

"The money has nothing to do with it. And I know how much you make _and_ that you can afford it. That's not the point."

"What is the point then?"

"Um…the point is that I enjoy paying for you. I mean…your meals." They both chuckled. "I'm just not good at this. I know I'm not supposed to apologize, but…"

"So don't."

"Okay, well then, what I meant to say was, I enjoy…taking care of you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. So what did you do today?"

"I," she thought about making something up, but decided to go with the truth, "didn't do anything."

"Anything?"

"Well, I read a book."

"That's something."

"I read all the time, so it doesn't seem eventful." She didn't want to tell him that she had to reread pages because her mind would wander to him. Then she spent over an hour getting ready to come to his place.

"Oh…well…what are you planning on doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Uh…well…because…I have an idea."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Well, before I left the lab, Nick and Warrick both invited me to their Friday morning breakfasts."

"Uh…that's usually around five am."

"Yes, but I'd like to go."

"Okay…"

"And…I'd like you to go with me."

"Oh! Are you sure?"

"Yes. I went last week," after a second, he added, "alone. And I know everyone would love to see you. And there's nothing unusual about you being there. I mean, it's not like we didn't do it all the time when we were working. I don't see why anyone…"

Sara interrupted him, "Grissom! You're rambling! And you don't have to. I'd love to go. I just wanted to make sure you were okay showing up there with me."

"Oh…yes. So you'll go?"

"Yes."

"Good. I, uh, also wondered if you'd spend the day with me."

"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you say 'uh' so many times."

"Well, you make me nervous."

"I do?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

He gave her a puzzled look, "For what?"

"That was the nicest compliment you've ever given me."

"Oh."

"And, I'd love to."

"Love to what?"

"Spend the day with you."

"Oh! Great!"

They finished dinner and cleaned up together in the kitchen. Grissom put on a pot of coffee and took a cheesecake out of the fridge. Sara almost jumped when he touched the small of her back to guide her into the living room. "Would you like to play a game of chess?"

"I will if you won't just let me win."

"Why would I do that?"

"To make me feel good."

"Fine. I won't just let you win." They played a very short game that Grissom won without even blinking then he went to get the coffee and dessert while she replaced all the pieces.

"Would you like to move to the sofa?"

"Sure." After they sat down, Sara asked, "So, about tomorrow…"

"Oh, yes. I'd like to sort of surprise you. Is that okay?"

She smiled. He lived for that smile. "Yes, it's perfect. But I just need to know what to wear, and if I need to bring anything."

"Hmm. Well, to breakfast, it doesn't matter what you wear. But for the rest of the day you'll need long pants or jeans and a sweater."

"Okay. Well, if we're gonna be at breakfast at five, I'd better go home and pack for tomorrow so I get some sleep tonight."

She started to get up, but was stopped by his hand on her arm, "Do you have to go?"

She stared at his hand and wondered whether the burn was real or just the warmth from his coffee cup, "Are you…asking me to stay?"

"Uh…yes. I am."

"Grissom…"

"I just don't want you to leave. I'm not asking for anything…else. We could, maybe watch a little television here on the couch, and then we could go to bed. To sleep. Separately. I mean…you could use the guest room."

"Grissom? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I think."

"Well, it just so happens that I keep a change of clothes in my trunk, in case something happens at work, or I need to pull a double. So I'd just need to go back to my apartment after breakfast to grab a sweater."

"Okay."

"And…I need to take a shower and something to sleep in."

"Okay."

"Then I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"To my car to get my clothes."

"Oh! Okay, I'll clean up these dishes then get you something to change into."

When she came back, he was still in the kitchen. "I'll show you to the guest room." He showed her where she'd be sleeping. She dropped her clothes on the foot of the bed and followed him to the bathroom. "The bathroom out here only has a stand-up shower and it's not stocked, so it would probably be better if you used mine. You'd, uh, have to go through my bedroom, though."

"Whatever you say."

He took her into the bathroom and she could tell from his walk that he was very nervous. "There are towels there and everything you need should already be in the shower. Uh…let me get you something to wear." He came back a few seconds later with one of his t-shirts and a pair of cotton shorts. "There's also my bathrobe on the back of this door. Oh, and if you need one, there are disposable razors in the second drawer down of the vanity."

"Okay, I'll be out in just a little bit."

Grissom left and Sara sighed. This was strange. They'd gone from basically ignoring each other a little over a week ago, and now she was spending the night at his townhouse. Let alone the fact that she was about to take a shower where he took his showers, and then wear his clothes. She was definitely back on her roller coaster ride. She shivered as she stepped into the shower. The water felt hot on her skin and the water pressure was very massaging. When she picked up the loofa sponge and body wash, she fantasized about him using the same sponge. What would it be like to shower with him: to have him scrub her back and wash her hair? Deciding she definitely needed cold water, she adjusted the temperature before she washed her hair then got out. He had big, fluffy towels waiting for her that smelled freshly laundered. When she put on his robe, she wrapped it loosely around her and buried her face in the lapels. He hadn't washed it since the last time he wore it. It smelled deliciously like him. No cologne or aftershave, just Grissom. So many memories…

She hung her towel back were the robe had been and went into the living room to find Grissom watching poker on television. The lights were dim, the candles in the table were blown out and he'd opened a window to let a breeze in. "I'm done. You next?"

He stared at her silently for what seemed like eternity, but must have only been seconds. "Uh…yes…will you still be awake when I come back?"

"Do you want me to be?"

"Yes."

"Then I will."

"Good."

Grissom walked into the bathroom where Sara had just been and felt like he was lost in a fantasy. He found the shorts he'd given her still on the vanity. That meant all that was between her and his robe was his t-shirt. Breaking his thoughts, he went to grab a pair of lounging pants and a fresh towel. He took the quickest, coldest shower he could manage and went out to find Sara curled up on his sofa drinking another cup of coffee.

She stared at him as he walked toward her and tried desperately to break away. The drool was very close to dripping down her chin.

"Sara, are you okay?"

"You're, uh, not wearing a shirt."

"Oh, would you like me to go put one on?"

After another huge smile, she replied, "That's a definite no. I, uh, hope you don't mind, I got another cup of coffee."

"My home is your home. Huh, I never thought I'd say that to anyone."

"Me neither. It's very nice, though. Would you like me to get you a cup?"

"I can get it." He started to walk toward the kitchen.

"No! Please, let me get it. Sit down. You've done enough."

Sara went to get his coffee and he sat down on the couch. He noticed that Sara had not changed the channel. When she came back, she handed him his coffee and sat at the opposite end of the couch. "You know, you are the first person that has ever spent the night here."

"Then why do you have a guest room with a bed in it?"

"Well, that's my old bed. I bought my new one and didn't want to get rid of the old one. That room used to have my computer, desk and books in it. The only thing was, I never used my computer, because I don't like that room. It makes me feel detached, and I don't like the lighting. So, I made it into a guest room and moved everything else out here. But you are the first person, besides me, to sleep in that bed."

"Thanks for that image."

"What?"

"Never mind. Hasn't your mother even stayed here?"

"No. It's easier for me to visit her."

"So why has no one ever stayed here."

"I've never asked anyone. I'm really not comfortable with people in my home. But, you make me comfortable."

"That's two great compliments in one day."

"Sara…this is all…I want you to know that if I do anything…I'm not supposed to do or something you don't like, I just need you to let me know."

"Grissom, you're not doing anything wrong. I have to admit, that your invitation tonight stunned me and you walking out here with no shirt blew me away, but neither one of those things are bad. Can I ask you a question, though?"

"Of course."

"Why tonight? Where did this change come from?"

"That's two questions."

"Always a scientist."

"Yes, but that's why you………anyway. Tonight, because, I'm not rationalizing. For the first time in a long time, I'm just going with what I feel. I'm not thinking about consequences, and I guess that's what scares me. I am trying not to be afraid of how I feel, but I am afraid that I'll do something wrong because I'm not thinking. And I didn't change. You just made me find myself. You make me, me. Does that make any sense?"

A tear trickled down Sara's cheek; she couldn't help it. "Compliment three. And yes, it makes perfect sense."

"Are you crying?"

"No."

"Yes you are." Grissom set his coffee down and moved to her end of the couch. He reached up with one hand and brushed her tear away with his thumb. "Why are you crying?"

"It's a happy tear, Grissom, don't worry. Uh, maybe we should get some sleep."

"Yeah…of course. I'll take care of this." He took her cup and they both stood. She walked away from him to the bedroom. He set the coffee cups back down, "Sara?"

She turned toward him, "Yeah?"

He walked toward her, quickly cupped her face in his hands and feathered a kiss over her lips. Then he turned, walked quickly to his bedroom and closed the door, leaving the coffee cups on the table, the television on and Sara stunned in silence.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Grissom woke the next morning to find the television off, the coffee cups not on the table and Sara humming in his kitchen. He didn't know if he could face her. He was just glad she didn't leave. But all his fears slipped away when he saw she wasn't wearing his robe, only his t-shirt.

"Good morning, Sara."

"Good morning. I know we're going to breakfast, but I thought we might need coffee to go."

"Okay. Is, uh, this payback for not wearing a shirt last night?"

Sara looked down and felt her cheeks turn red. All she was wearing was Grissom's shirt, which hung dangerously high on her thighs. "Uh…I …uh…am used to living alone. I don't think of what I'm wearing when I roll out of bed. I'll, uh, go get dressed." She walked toward the bedroom, very conscious of the fact that he was probably staring at her behind.

"Sara?"

Could she handle this again? Without turning, "Yeah?"

"You're saying 'uh' a lot this morning."

Sara smirked as she walked into the bedroom to change. Ten minutes later, she walked out of the room to find Grissom reading the paper and drinking his coffee at the table. "I just need to wash my face and I'm all set."

"Okay, no rush. We've still got a half hour."

When she came out, she peeked over the paper, "Ready."

"Okay." He folded the paper on the table and they headed for the door. On the way out, he picked up a bag that was by the door. "Sara, do we need to talk?"

"Aren't we always talking?"

"No, I mean, about last night."

"Yes, I think we should."

"Okay…I guess…"

"It was very nice."

"Oh! That's it?"

"Do you want me to describe it in detail?"

"No…I don't think so. I just wanted to make sure you weren't upset."

"Grissom, if I'm ever upset, you'll know it. Until then, just keep being you."

"I can do that."

After they got in the car, "So, about breakfast…are we…or aren't we?"

"What?"

"Answering questions about us if they come up."

"Well…I'm not comfortable lying, but I do value my privacy."

"I know; that's why I'm asking."

"Well, minus last night, we're two friends that have been spending a lot of time together during our vacation, right?"

"Yes."

"Let's go with that. The rest is none of their business."

"Good."

When they got to breakfast, the gang was glad to see both of them. Everyone exchanged Thanksgiving stories and Sara and Grissom got wide-eyed stares when they told them they'd eaten together.

Catherine was the first one to ask, "So, what else have you guys been up to?"

Sara looked to Grissom to answer, "We've been enjoying our time off together. We ate out a few times, we played chess and we watched poker on television."

Nick got his two cents in, "Who cooked dinner?"

Sara decided she could handle this one, "Grissom. Actually, I totally forgot it was Thanksgiving until I showed up to eat."

The questions eventually stopped and everyone finally got up to leave, promising they'd all be there next week. If anyone noticed Grissom's hand on the small of Sara's back on the way out, no one said anything.

When they got in the car, Grissom took I-95 North. "Do I get to know where we're going yet?"

"Nope!"

About 25 minutes later, they pulled into Mt. Charleston Hotel. "You're taking me to a hotel?"

Grissom laughed, "Yep."

"Grissom…I …"

"Sara, we're here to ice skate, not to get a room."

"Oh! I knew that! I knew that!"

"Of course you did."

Grissom went around to open Sara's door and grabbed the bag from the back seat. "I brought you a sweater, a scarf and a pair of gloves. I hope you don't mind."

"I knew there had to be a reason why you didn't go by my apartment. And, no, I don't mind. As long as you don't mind teaching me to ice skate."

"I don't mind teaching you anything. I'm sure there will come a time when you'll have to teach me things also. Ready?"

"Yep."

After they rented their skates, they each put on sweaters, scarves and gloves. Grissom helped Sara to the rink. She was surprisingly steady for never having skated before. The day was perfect. He spent the first part of the day teaching her to skate. It was a great excuse to have his hands around her waist all day. After an hour or so, she could skate on her own. They spent the rest of the day holding hands, drinking hot chocolate and skating around the small rink.

When they were finally both wore out, they returned their skates and drove back home. "This was a wonderful idea, Grissom."

"I'm glad you had a good time. Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

"Uh, could I drop you off at home to get changed and then pick you up in an hour or so?"

"Sure. I could probably use a shower. Where are we going?"

"I was thinking the Eiffel Tower."

Sara was sure that that was one of the most expensive restaurants in Vegas. "Are you sure that's where you want to go?"

"Yes, I've already made reservations for six o'clock."

"I guess that settles that. Why don't you just drive to your apartment? I can drive home from there, then you can come pick me up."

"Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

6

There was a knock on her door at almost exactly 5:30. She yelled for him to come in. "I'll be right out."

After a spray of perfume, which she normally didn't wear, she walked out into the living room. She almost fell over when she saw Catherine standing in her living room, not Grissom. "Cath?"

"Sorry, you told me to come in. Obviously, I wasn't who you expected."

"No, you're not."

"Well, you look great."

"Thanks. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to grab those case files you called me about last week. I've stopped by a couple times, but you've been out a lot."

"Let me get those for you. Sorry I didn't bring them to breakfast. It was sort of a last-minute decision to go. Uh, I don't mean to rush you out, but I'm expecting someone any minute." Almost on cue, there was a knock at the door. "Um, Catherine, would you mind going into the living room a minute?"

"Uh…sure."

Sara went to answer the door and stepped out before Grissom stepped in. "Grissom, Catherine is in there."

"What?"

"Yeah, she came by to grab some case files I called her about last week that I'd brought home. Do you want to just wait in the car and I'll be right out?"

"Uh…no. I'd like to come in." They turned and walked in to Sara's living room. "Hello Catherine."

"Oh! Hi Gil! I figured Sara was expecting you."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but your hand on Sara's back on the way out…giveaway. But, hey, maybe no one else saw it. Anyway, I'll get out of the way." Catherine walked toward the door.

Grissom stopped her, "Catherine, I'd…we'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about this for now."

"Talk about what?" Catherine winked, "You guys have fun."

It wasn't until Catherine left that Sara realized Grissom had brought her a rose. "Is that for me?"

"Well, I really brought it for Catherine, but…of course it's for you." He handed her the single white rose.

"You remembered. Thank you." She took the rose into the kitchen to put it in water. White roses were her favorite; she couldn't believe he remembered.

She'd chosen a dress that hugged every one of her curves, dipped dangerously low in the back and showed just enough cleavage to drive a man crazy. And that's just what it did to Grissom. "You are stunning. It's been a long time since I've seen you in a dress. You're amazingly gorgeous."

"Thank you. You look equally amazing. We'd better get going."

They arrived just in time. The menu was French, which Sara didn't know a whole lot about. It turned out that it didn't matter because Grissom had preordered everything from the wine to the dessert. There was a wine she couldn't pronounce and a seafood medley for an appetizer. He'd ordered her the only vegetarian meal on the menu and admitted that was one of the reasons he chose the restaurant and a Red Snapper dish for himself. The evening ended with the two of them sharing a Crème Brulee and a Chocolate Plate.

She'd never eaten that much food in her life and would probably die if she saw the check. They walked back to the car and drove home in silence. When Grissom pulled into her parking lot, this time it was her who didn't want the night to end. He opened her door and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked to her door. He took her keys and unlocked her door for her. She went to step inside and he pulled her back to him.

With one hand on her back and the other on her cheek, he looked deep into her eyes as he captured her lips under his. He could taste the sweetness of her lips and smell the intoxicating perfume she wore. When she titled her head, he slipped his tongue onto her lower lip. She opened her mouth and invited his tongue to dance with hers. It was magic like he'd never known. He pulled her into him with the hand on her back and she snaked one arm around his neck and another around his waist. He would never forget how she tasted, how she felt under his hands. She was his object of perfection.

When he finally pulled away he whispered, "Goodnight, Sara." Then he turned to walk away.

He was stopped, though, when she grabbed his hand, "Stay."

Without turning around, he pulled away and walked to his car. Feeling rejected, and on a downward spiral, Sara went into her apartment. She didn't know whether she should stay and dance on cloud nine, or drift down to earth and cry about him not staying. She chose to dance and fantasize about how his hand burned the skin of her cheek. How she could feel the sweat of his hand through her dress on her back. She reveled in his bittersweet taste. He still tasted of the chocolate dessert they shared and the expensive white wine. Yet she could taste the saltiness of his skin through it all. She was lost in dreamland when someone knocked on the door she leaned against.


	7. Chapter 7

7

She tried to control her excitement when she realized Grissom had come back. She almost jerked the door off the hinges when she opened it. "I thought you'd left."

"No. I was going to. But…I…uh…I changed my mind. I brought my bag from my car." He held up a small overnight bag. "I'd…uh…like to stay. If that's okay with you?"

"I believe I asked you to stay."

"Ah, yes, yes you did."

"Come in."

"The guest room is that way." Grissom walked to the guest room without a word and Sara went to change in her room. When she came out, he was lounging on her loveseat and she could smell the coffee from the kitchen. He was wearing just lounging pants again. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers thru the hair on his chest, but controlled her urges. She didn't want to scare him away.

When he looked up, he saw she was wearing a pair of silk pants with a matching top. Again, she took his breath away. "Will you sit with me?"

Sara curled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. Then she did the strangest thing; she started to cry. When he felt the warm liquid hit his shoulder, he lifted her chin. When he saw she was crying, he pulled her onto his lap. "Sara, what's wrong? Please talk to me. Are these happy tears again? Sara?"

She curled herself tighter against him. "You know, I'm not sure I know."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how glad I was that you stayed and how afraid I was that you weren't."

"Sara, I needed you to stay last night and you stayed. You needed me to stay tonight and I'm staying. I'm sorry that it took me a few minutes to come back, but, honestly, I was afraid of staying."

"Why?"

"Because…because I'm afraid of getting used to something that can be taken away from me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't want to get used to spending nights and mornings with you when I can't control when that will stop. What if I'm used to it and tomorrow night you decide you'd rather be alone? Then what?"

"Then you'd be talking to someone else. Grissom, you're rationalizing."

"Yes, I guess I am."

"Neither one of us can control the other; I think we've learned that. Which means there's a possibility that one of us will get hurt from time to time. But this is about trusting each other. It's about knowing what to expect from one another. One part of me says that we shouldn't be spending this much time together. Especially, we shouldn't spend nights together, but the other part of me says that I've waited for this for years and as long as I can have it, I'm not giving it up."

"What do you mean 'as long as you can have it'?"

"I mean that, one day you may reach your breaking point, again, and you won't be able to handle this anymore. Like, when we go back to work. I don't know if you'll be able to handle this in front of everyone else."

"Sara, is that what you think?" Grissom pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. "God, I've hurt you so much. I'd give anything to take that hurt out of your eyes. I don't know how you can even see me through all those wounds. How can you forgive me for what I've done to you?"

"I love you, Grissom." He just stared at her, silently. "I've loved you for a long time. I don't need you to tell me you love me too. I've come to terms with the fact that you may never love me. Just promise me this. If you do decide that this is too much for you and you need to end this again, please just be honest with me. Because I'm way past gone, Grissom. I tried to keep my feet on the ground. I tried to not let myself fall so fast, but I realized that I fell a long time ago. All it took was that little push from you and I fell right over the cliff. So, just…think."

"Sara, don't worry. Every decision I make is in your best interest."

"Grissom? Will you tell me something about yourself?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. A story…a story about you. Something I don't already know."

"Okay. How about this? About ten years ago, there was this man."

"You?"

"This is _my_ story. There was this man. He gave lectures at a college in San Francisco."

"It's you."

She giggled when he poked her side and then she curled herself back up and laid her cheek on his chest. He continued, "These lectures brought in large crowds of students, that got in for free, and even CSI's and detectives from all over, which paid a great deal. Now, this man started doing the lectures, for the joy of doing them and because it was a good income. But he continued doing them for a different reason. You see, he had a crush on a certain young lady that attended his seminars."

"I know this story already."

"Not all of it. Where was I? Oh, the young lady. He always made sure this certain young lady knew about each of his lectures so that she would attend. She was gorgeous, still is. But you see, this man was very afraid of becoming involved with this young lady because she had a promising future ahead of her, and he did not want to hinder it. So, instead of showing his interest in a romantic way, he settled with being fascinated by her mind and intelligence. They started spending time together talking about his lectures and getting to know each other. Then one day the two met on the beach during the sunrise and the romance won him over. Their time spent together changed to candlelit dinners and midnight walks on the beach. This relationship seemed to work for them, except this man's schedule got very busy after he became a level three CSI at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. He stopped giving so many of his lectures then, and suggested the two of them should keep in touch. He buried himself in his job as CSI. These two people did keep in touch, but the relationship between them fell apart. Finally, one day he realized that part of his life was empty without her; part of him needed her. But he didn't understand, because he'd learned never to need anything he couldn't control, because he could lose it. But, one day, he let his urges control him and he called her. He needed her to help him. He thought that being around her for a while would cure his need. But when it came time for her to leave, he couldn't let her go. So he asked her to stay. He realized then that she was the one thing in life he needed that he couldn't control. Then his need turned into fear. Fore how could a beautiful young woman ever love an old man like him? So, instead of trying to charm the girl, and draw her back into his life, he pushed her away. He dated a few women, but no one gave him the spark. So, one day, after years of saying no, he said yes. And that, my Dear, was the best decision he ever made."

"I love you Gil Grissom."

Grissom lifted Sara's face to his, "I love you too, Sara Sidle." He kissed her then. With all the passion he could find in his soul, he kissed her. He knew he was in love with her and that he was ready to share his life with the woman he loved. "Sara? Sara?"

She stopped kissing him long enough to look in his eyes, "What?"

"Can I sleep with you?"

"What?"

"I mean…I'd like to sleep with you. Clothes on. I'm not asking you for anything other than to hold you. I just want to know what is feels like to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up the same way."

"Okay."

He reached over, turned out the lamp beside him and stood with her in his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and they curled up together underneath the covers. He took a deep, relaxing breath. "Good night, Sara."

"Good night, Grissom."


	8. Chapter 8

8

When he woke up the next morning, Sara was still curled up in his arms. They hadn't moved the whole night. He wanted to get up and make her breakfast, but there was no way he wanted to let her go. Instead, he watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful, lying there next to him. To him, it was the most natural thing in the world to wake up next to her. It was all he ever wanted out of life. He just had to figure out how to make this work. There were definite policies in place at work about this sort of thing. He just needed someone to find out what they were. Catherine would do it. That would be on his list of things to do today.

But until then, he just wanted to lose himself in the woman he held in his arms. She was so beautiful. He wondered if she knew how beautiful she was. The silk pajamas she wore left little to the imagination. They showed every curve. She obviously wore no underwear, bra or panties. The high curve of her hip intoxicated him as he let his eyes travel to the depths of her waist. The slight curve of her breasts intrigued him, but her neck was what he loved. She had the sexiest neck in the world. He wanted to just bury his face in her neck and kiss every inch of it. Besides her eyes, it was her best feature. Followed very closely by her tush.

She stirred and woke him from his fantasy. "Good morning, Beautiful."

"Good morning." He kissed her forehead, and then tried to move to her lips. Sara immediately moved her hand to her mouth. "No, I have to brush first."

Grissom chuckled, but gave in to her quirk. "This is the best morning of my life."

"It is?"

"Yes, it is. I mean, how many men can actually say they woke up with their arms wrapped around the woman they love?"

"Believe it or not, Grissom, romance still is alive in Las Vegas. There are a lot of people that live happily ever after."

"Good. I don't like to stand out in a crowd. Breakfast?"

"Yes, but first…"

"I know; you have to brush your teeth."

"And I have to pee."

Grissom laughed out loud as Sara rolled away and ran in the bathroom. He got up and went straight to the kitchen. His first goal in the morning was coffee, then the bathroom. After the bathroom, he headed straight for the front door. Did Sara even have the daily paper delivered? He was pleased when he opened the door to find the paper on her mat. Back inside, he threw the paper on the table and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He found Sara already there, pouring coffee.

When she handed him his cup, "Thank you. Now can I have my kiss?"

Without answering, she planted a minty-flavored kiss on his lips. "Hmm, have I told you how much I love your beard?"

"No, but note taken."

"Good. So, how about breakfast?"

"I was thinking about French toast, eggs and this bacon stuff you have in the freezer."

"Grissom?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not used to eating like this all the time. I was thinking more like toast and fruit."

"Okay. I'm sor…I mean, I just like to make sure I'm taking care of you."

"You are taking care of me. Let's make a deal. During the next few weeks, little breakfasts during the week and bigger breakfasts on the weekends. Deal?"

"Does that mean we're, uh, going to be spending a lot of mornings together?"

She sauntered over to him, "Is there someone else you'd rather spend your mornings with?"

He snaked an arm around her waist, careful not to spill his coffee, "Definitely not."

She tilted her head and gave him a quirky smile, "Good. Then deal?"

"Deal."

"You got toast. I'll do the fruit."

After they made breakfast together, they went to eat at the table. He broke their silence, "Do you watch the news in the mornings?"

"Uh, no, not usually. It's mostly depressing to me, but if you'd like, I'm not against it."

"Thank you." He got up to turn the television on and turned the volume down low.

When he got back to the table, she continued, "Besides, I'm usually sleeping at this time. I don't know when you usually sleep, but I stay up for a couple hours after shift, then I go to bed."

"Uh, I don't really have a pattern. To be honest, I've probably gotten more sleep with you than I have in the past month."

"Grissom! You have to sleep to stay healthy."

"Sara, I am healthy. I am just one of those people who doesn't need a lot of sleep. Besides, I usually work when I'm at home."

"This vacation is really a difference for you. I thought I was a work-a-holic, but you have gone way over the top."

"Well, I guess I just never had anything better to do."

"And now?"

"Now…let's just say that I won't need to bring work home anymore."

"Good."

"Uh, Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Since we're talking about work, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Okay."

"I was thinking this morning while I was watching you sleep and…"

"You were, uh, watching me sleep?"

"Yes, but that's not the point. The point is, that I was thinking of giving Catherine a call. I was going to just do it myself, but then I thought maybe I should talk to you about it first."

"Uh, Grissom, you can talk to Catherine any time you want. You don't need to talk to me about who your friends are."

Grissom chuckled, "No. I mean I was going to call Catherine today to see if she could get a copy of the, uh, policies that would involve us."

"Oh."

"I just thought that we should at least find out now what we're up against, and maybe how we could get around it."

"Uh, Grissom, that means Catherine's gonna know everything. I mean, I know she was here last night, but that only means she saw us go on a date…hmm…that's nice…anyway, what I'm saying is, she's gonna know that this is something a little more serious than just friends spending time together."

Grissom put the paper down, reached his hand across the table to Sara, and explained, "Sara, you know, I've been thinking a lot since last night. Since…well since I woke up and saw the light, I've made a lot of decisions. And I've decided that I just don't care. I've spent too long trying to hide this, and I'm not going to hide it any more. I don't know if I'm ready to print it on a billboard on I-95, but I know that I'm ready to talk to Catherine. After we figure out how this will work with the information she can give us, I'll be ready to tell the rest of the team."

"Uh…I…I don't know what to say."

"Well, you can tell me whether calling Catherine is okay with you."

"Umm…yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Do you mind if I call now?"

"That's fine."

In seconds, Grissom was up and across the room to the phone. When he came back to the table, he had his hand over the speaker part of the phone. "She said she could get us the info then bring it by tonight. Should I invite her for dinner?"

"Sure, that's fine with me."

He walked away again and came back smiling. "What are you smiling about?"

"No reason."

"Grissom!"

"Okay, fine. It's because Catherine said she'd only come to dinner if she wouldn't be interrupting anything."

"And that makes you smile?"

Matter-of-factly, he answered, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because…well because I've never had anything to _be_ interrupted before." Sara got a big grin on her face. "See, now you're smiling. And that makes me smile, too."

"Good. So what are our plans for today?"

"Well, I told Catherine to be here at six. So, besides that, I have no idea. I guess we need to figure out what we're making for dinner."

"Grissom…uh…I don't really cook. I microwave."

"Yes, I know that. That's why I thought we might need to go to the grocery store or get some things from my place. I'm amazed at how much food you have that doesn't need to be cooked. It's a healthy snack-food heaven in your kitchen. But I was thinking maybe sauce. No meat of course."

"Sauce?"

"Yes, you know, on pasta. You serve it with garlic bread and a salad."

"Oh, spaghetti. Why do you call it sauce?"

"Because that's what it is, Sara."

"Noooo, the sauce is the red stuff on top of the pasta. The pasta and sauce combined makes spaghetti."

"Pa-tah-toe, Poe-tae-toe."

"Nice. So, we're having sauce slash spaghetti for dinner. I guess we will have to go to the store. I have nothing here to make sauce. I do have stuff to make the salad but we'll have to get a loaf of bread, too."

"Okay…so, the dinner menu is set and the menu for today includes a trip to the grocery store. What else?"

"We should probably go pick up a bottle of wine, too."

"And, uh, I believe I will need to go by my place."

"Are you staying?"

"Staying where?"

"Here."

"That depends."

"On?"

"Whether I'm invited."

"You, Grissom, can stay…forever."

"Hmm….", Grissom got a far-away look in his eyes. Forever sounded good to him. "Then I'll need to go home and pack."

"We could go to your place if you'd rather."

"No, we've already told Catherine that dinner is here tonight. So, for tonight, we'll stay here. Maybe you could just pack a bag to take to my place and you could leave it there for when you need it."

"Okay. I'm going to go take a shower and pack while you finish the paper and watch the news."

"I think I'll just jump in the shower at my place. I, uh, don't think vanilla will smell as good on me as it does you."

"You looked in my shower?"

"No, I just know what you smell like."

"Oh."


	9. Chapter 9

9

Sara emptied the contents of her bag into the dresser in the guest room while Grissom showered and packed. After that, she gathered of few of his books, including a crossword puzzle paperback, set them on the table by the door and watered his two plants. As she was rinsing the glass she used, Grissom walked into the kitchen. She watched as he worked around her, obviously gathering up the things he would need for dinner that night. Once he had everything bagged up, they loaded the groceries in his car and went back for his bags. He was impressed when he saw her pick up the stack of books from the table.

"I, uh, just wanted you to have a little piece of yourself at my apartment."

He placed his hand on her cheek. "Sara, you are the piece of me at your apartment. But thank you for thinking about this. Come on, we have shopping to do." After a quick kiss, they finished loading the car and headed off for a day of shopping.

They made it back to Sara's apartment by one and Grissom went straight to work on his sauce. Sara put his books on her coffee table, and looked over at his bags. She thought about unpacking for him, but thought that might be overstepping. Instead, she went into the kitchen to see if she could help.

"I've, uh, got it pretty much under control. Why don't you just relax? Once I'm done here, I'd, uh, actually like to run a quick errand if you'll be okay stirring this for me."

"Sure. I've got some Christmas shopping I need to do anyway. I need to order everything to make sure it gets here on time."

"Great. Do you mind if I unpack when I get back?"

"Nope. So, all I'll have to do is stir, right?"

"Every 15 minutes or so please."

"Okay. I'll be on the computer."

When he was finished, he came over and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be home in an hour or so. Love you."

"Love you, too. Be careful."

After he left, she wondered how it had become so easy for him to call her apartment home and how their 'love yous' slipped right off their tongues. In two weeks, they'd gone from barely speaking to practically living together. They were still on that roller coaster. But, for now, they were at a steady rise. How long could this last?

Pushing that from her brain, she focused on shopping. Her main goal was to get Grissom's shopping done before he got back. It wasn't hard to find what she wanted. She browsed the web all the time and always spotted things she'd like to get for him. Her problem would be narrowing it down. Was there a spending limit she should keep in mind? No…surely Grissom was not a penny watcher.

After making her first selection and entering her credit card number, she remembered she needed to stir the sauce. She spent the next hour rotating between stirring and shopping. After finally feeling satisfied with her purchases, she stirred the sauce one more time, then looked at her watch. Grissom would be back any time now. He'd been gone almost an hour and a half.

When she heard the knock at the door, she rushed over to let him in. When she opened the door, though, she was surprised to see Nick standing there.

"Nick?"

"Sara, I need you to come with me."

"What?"

"Just turn off the sauce, move it to another burner, and come with me."

"How'd you know….", her voice trailed off and nausea swept over her. "No!"

Nick reached out for her, "Sara! He's okay. He's just asking for you. Sara? Do you hear me? He's fine!"

"Okay, okay, I hear you. What happened?"

"Go take care of the sauce, grab him some clothes and I'll tell you on the way."

Once they got in the car, Nick filled her in. "He was hit by a drunk driver. Luckily, the guy was just trying to park, but his foot slipped of the brake. Grissom's got a couple bruises and a lot of scratches. He's got a big bump on his head, and he's got a brace on his wrist. He didn't break it; it's just sprained from the fall."

"Okay. So where is he?"

"Desert Palm. We actually got him to go in. He wouldn't let me come get you until he knew he was okay."

"Nick, he just left an hour and a half ago. When did this happen?"

"He was getting out of his car and was walking through the parking lot."

"Where was he?"

"Sara, I can't tell you that. You'll have to hear that from him. I will tell you this, though. He would only go to the hospital _after_ Catherine took him in the store."

"What store?"

"You'll find out."

They pulled into the hospital a few minutes later and Nick pulled up to let Sara out at the front. She ran into the ER, almost frantic. When she finally found him, she burst into tears. "God, Grissom!"

"Come here, Sara." He wrapped her in his arms and let her cry. "Sara, I'm okay. I won't be able to lift the sauce pan, but I'm fine." Sara giggled then. "That's my girl. Come on. I just finished filling out my discharge papers before you got here. Let's go home."

"Grissom, you're wearing a hospital gown."

It was his turn to laugh, "Yeah, I guess I should change."

"It's just sweats and t-shirt. I didn't know what kind of shape you were in until we got in the car."

"This is fine. I can always change before Catherine gets there."

"Are you sure you still want her to come over?"

"Hey! I've waited a long time to have Gil's sauce! Don't try to take it away when I'm this close!"

"Catherine! I didn't even see you when I came in."

"Yeah. I can see that. Anyway, he's fine. I'm still coming at six." She winked at Grissom. "Besides, if you want those papers, you have to let me come over."

Sara finally gave in, "Okay, as long as he's all right, we'll see you at six."

"Great! See you two lovebirds later!"

"I'll wait in the hall. Just come out when you're ready."

Sara waited in the hall while Grissom changed. "Miss, can I help you?" Sara looked up to see a nurse staring at her. "Would you like a tissue?"

"Oh! Yes, thank you. I'm fine! I'm just waiting."

"Yes, I know. Your husband's a very lucky man. It's a good thing that drunk driver wasn't speeding down the road instead of just trying to park."

She handed Sara the tissue. She thought about trying to correct her about the husband remark, but she just liked the way it sounded. "I have to say that he's a stubborn guy though. He said we couldn't call you until he was checked out and found out he was okay. Said he didn't want to scare you any more than possible. But ever since he asked for you, he hasn't stopped. He must love you a lot. How long have you been married?"

At that moment, Sara thanked God that Grissom stepped out of the room. This is what she got for not telling the truth in the first place. Ignoring the last question, she turned to him, "You ready?"

"Yes."

To the nurse, she said, "Thank you for all your help."

"You're welcome. Drive safe."

"We will."

"Oh! Mrs. Grissom! Make sure he takes the medication and ices that wrist."

Grissom turned and smiled at her. Turning away from his grin, she replied, "I will; thanks again."

"Uh, my car's in the ER lot _Mrs_. Grissom. Catherine drove me here."

"I didn't tell her we were…she just assumed we were…"

"Sara, I don't care. I actually think it sounds kind of nice."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."


	10. Chapter 10

10

Catherine arrived at exactly six and, with a lot of coaching from Grissom, Sara had the meal all ready. After dinner, Grissom tried to help clear the table, but Sara quickly ushered him to the couch. She disappeared into the bathroom then the kitchen. She came over to him a few minutes later with an ice pack, a glass of water and some ibuprofen. "You relax. Catherine and I will clean up and I'll bring coffee in."

The women cleared the table, put on the coffee and loaded the dishwasher. "So, can I ask a question?"

Sara was afraid this was coming, "I think you just did."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Um…"

"Sara."

Knowing that Catherine had no idea about their relationship in San Francisco, she went with answering honestly about their new development, "Since about a week after we left work."

"So, let me get this straight. This whole thing just started and you guys are sleeping with each other already? I gotta hand it to you Sara, you move fast."

"We are NOT sleeping together…well…technically, we have slept together. But we haven't…Catherine, maybe we should be talking about this in front of Grissom."

"Sorry. I just saw his bag sitting out there and I figured we could have a little girl talk."

"Well, he has spent the night. We did sleep together, but we didn't make love. We have kissed; but that's it."

"Thanks! Now I'm ready for coffee!" Catherine sauntered out of the kitchen and left Sara speechless in the kitchen. Had she really just told her all of that? She pulled herself together and carried hers and Grissom's coffee into the living room. Catherine took her seat on the chair, so Sara carefully sat beside Grissom.

"So, Catherine. Do you have something for us?"

"You're always business, Gil."

"Not always." Catherine went and got the papers out of her purse and handed them to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Actually, I can save you some reading. Basically, all it says is that a married couple can't work on the same shift. There is a dating clause in there where it says a person cannot date their direct supervisor, but I think anyone could get around that. Other than that, you guys are okay."

"But it says here that an employee can't date their direct supervisor."

"Yeah, I just said that."

"I'm her direct supervisor, Catherine."

"And, like I said, you should be able to work around that."

"How?"

"Politic, Grissom! I know you're not good at that, but this is when it can work in your favor. The lab needs both of you. Ecklie might not want to say that out loud, but he knows it. I'm pretty sure, that if you both threaten to quit if this isn't looked over, he'll side with you. The only thing that you're going to have to worry about is when you get married. I'm assuming that won't be for a while, but at the rate you guys are moving…"

"Thank you, Catherine. But, as you said, I'm not good at politics. I also won't put Sara in the position where she might lose her job. What if we were to go to Ecklie, like you said, and he laughed in our faces? I'd never forgive myself."

The two women spoke at the same time. From Sara, "Do I get a say in this?"

And Catherine, "So what are you planning on doing?"

"Sara, of course you get a say in this. I just know there are some things I can do, and some things I can't. Politicking is one of those things I can't do. And to answer your question, Catherine, I don't know what we're going to do. But I'm sure between the two of we can figure it out."

"I'm sure you will. And if you keep cooking, Gil, Sara might actually gain some weight."

"Ah, yes, we already have a breakfast deal."

"Of course you do! Well, anyway! I am going to see myself out. One of us has to work around here!"

"Thank you for coming Catherine. And thank you for the info."

"No problem, Gil. Thank you both for dinner. It was delicious."

"Good night, Catherine."

"Night Cath."

"Good night, guys."

It wasn't until Catherine left that Grissom finally spoke, "Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you help me unpack?"

"Are you sure you aren't too tired?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'd just like to get my clothes out of the suitcase. I'm glad Catherine didn't mind me in my sweats."

"You were hit by a car, Grissom! No one expects anything from you. We just want you to get better. Come on, let's get you unpacked."

Sara carried one bag and Grissom managed the lighter bag with his good arm. He started to walk toward the guest room, but Sara turned the other way toward her room. "Sara? I thought you were going to help me unpack?"

"I am."

He stood there for moment and waited for her to come back, but when she didn't, he walked into her room. He saw an empty open drawer in the dresser and she was in the closet pushing the hangers toward one end. When she finally turned, she smiled at him. "I figured since you were sleeping in here, you might as well put your clothes in here."

"Uh…okay."

"Is this all right, Grissom?"

After letting out a deep breath, he finally spoke, "Yes, this is definitely all right."

"Good. If you want to unpack your bathroom stuff, I'll put your clothes away."

"Okay."

After he finished in the bathroom, he found Sara zipping up his suitcase. "If you want to take your shower, I'll put this is the guest room closet and wash up our coffee cups. Will you, uh, be ready for bed when you're done?"

"Yes, I'm pretty beat."

"Yeah, by a car."

She got in the shower when he was finished. The bathroom was hot and steamy. She couldn't open the door fast enough after she put her robe on. She walked out of the bathroom to find Grissom lost in thought, gazing into space.

"Grissom?"

As if he was still lost in his thoughts, he answered, "Mmm?"

"You okay?"

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Silly really. I guess it's from my close encounter today."

Sara walked back into the bathroom to towel-dry her hair then brush it. Through the open door, she heard Grissom continue, "I don't know. Most people want to die in their sleep I suppose; never know that it's happening. Like a crime scene; surprise, you're dead. I'd prefer to know in advance that I was gonna die. I'd like to be diagnosed with cancer, actually, have some time to prepare. (Sigh) Go back to the rainforest one more time, reread Moby Dick. Possibly enter an international chess tournament. At least have enough time to say good-bye to the people I love."

Sara walked out of the bathroom and knelt on the floor in front of him. "I'm not ready to say good-bye."

For a moment, he just stared at her. He loved her so much. "Good, neither am I. Come on, let's go to bed."

Without a word, she took off her robe and started to get into bed. He stopped her with, "You look cute."

"Thanks." She'd chosen a pair of cotton shorts with a matching top. They were her favorite. She cuddled up next to him, "Good night. I love you."

"I love you, too, Sara. Good night."


	11. Chapter 11

11

The next couple of weeks went by so fast they just seemed like a blur. Grissom's wrist healed and his bruises and cuts all went away. He and Sara spent every waking, and sleeping, moment together. They had rotated between his place and hers. More little 'rules' had been made along the way to help with the compromising. So far, it was as if they were the perfect couple. Everyone at the Friday morning breakfasts knew about their relationship, and no one seemed to care. Of course, when they got back to work all that could change.

Almost all of Grissom's Christmas presents had arrived. For two gifts, though, she'd received notices in the mail saying that due to high demand, they couldn't be shipped until after Christmas. After checking the box saying she would still like to get them anyway, she mailed the letter back. She resigned that one day she would have to actually go shopping to pick up a couple more things to have for Christmas morning. It was only two weeks away and if she had things rush shipped the cost would kill her at this time of year.

Today was not unlike any of the rest of their days. They were seated at the table in her dining area. He was reading the paper with the news on the television and she was skimming a catalog.

From behind the paper she heard, "Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you feel about a Christmas tree?"

"You know, I usually don't get one because it's just me."

"I feel the same way. Uh, but now it's not just me or just you; it's us."

Sara smiled, "Does that mean you'd like a tree?"

"Well, I was thinking."

"Big shock there."

He lowered the paper then to give her 'the look'. "I was thinking that maybe we could invite the gang over for a little Christmas party. Last year we drew names the week before Christmas then exchanged gifts the day before Christmas Eve. I thought that, since we wouldn't be there, everyone could come to us."

"Okay. You'd better call Cath."

After deciding on decorating his townhouse since it was a little more spacious, he went to call Catherine. When he came back, "Real or fake?"

"Uh, I hadn't really thought about it. I like the idea of a real one for the smell, but I've heard they're a pain to take care of."

"I'm sure that we can take care of one little tree between the two of us."

But little was far from the truth by the time they'd gotten home. The tree, once they put it in the stand they'd gotten from the tree lot, was almost as tall as her. "Grissom? What are we going to do with this tree?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean everyone's coming over here to see a decorated tree. Do you have any decorations?"

"Actually, I have a couple I made when I was little. But they're definitely not enough for this tree. So, let's go shopping."

"Grissom, I hate the mall."

"I know. But I'll be there. Besides, I haven't gotten to take you shopping yet."

"You actually want to take me shopping?"

"Yeah! You know, Julia Roberts didn't just stay for the sex. It was also the shopping. Women like to be pampered. It's natural."

With a smile, "So, you're comparing me with a hooker now?"

"Don't start with me! Come on, let's go shopping."

She crossed her arms and with a roll of her eyes, "Fine."

They spent the first couple hours at Galleria buying Christmas decorations. They didn't go with a traditional matching of colors or a bunch of electronic ornaments. Instead, they went with pretty glass, colored, clear and frosted. Sara picked out a pretty angel for the top of the tree and Grissom chose beaded garland instead of the poofy kind. When they headed for the car with their purchases, Sara thought she was off the hook. But when Grissom steered her back to the mall, explaining they were only lightening their load, her shoulders sank.

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Because I like to spoil you. Besides, I've looked through your closet. I think I have seen you in everything you own. Not that that's surprising since you only own a quarter amount of clothing any other woman owns. Not that I want you to be like every other woman. I like that you wear very little makeup and that you only wear perfume when we got out to dinner. I like that as soon as we get home, you change into something comfortable. I like that when you get ready, you only take a couple minutes longer than me, rather than another hour."

"So, if you like all that stuff, why are we doing this?"

"First of all, because you only own one black evening dress, which you've already worn on our date to the Eiffel Tower. I'd like to take you out like that more often. So you need more eveningwear. Second, you've owned the same pair of sneakers since we met I think. And I believe you only own one pair of dress shoes, one pair of sandals and all the rest of your footwear are made up of boots. Third, because I want to."

"Okay. I understand this is something you want to do, but it's something I don't want to do. So, since we're good at compromising, and since this seems so important to you, I'm going to do this. BUT, we're going to set a time limit."

"Fair. Four hours? Two hours now, break for lunch then two more hours."

"Two hours all before lunch."

"Two hours before and one hour after."

Smiling, she gave in to him. "You'd better let me win the next one."

"Deal."

They spent the next two hours moving in and out of shoes stores and dress shops. She had to admit that it was a little more fun shopping when she had someone waiting outside the dressing room for her. By lunch she'd gotten four new pairs of shoes, two dresses, about half a dozen tops and a pair of slacks.

"So, what can I possibly need that I haven't already gotten today?"

"You'll see."

After lunch in the food court, Grissom ushered her to the jewelry store.

"Grissom, I don't usually wear jewelry."

"Yes, I know. But I think you should."

A clerk attacked them as soon as they entered, "Can I help you?"

"Yes. We'd like to look at some simple jewelry, please. One set in yellow gold, the other in white gold."

"Yes, sir."

For the next twenty minutes, they browsed through necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Sara chose a white gold chain with a single diamond pendant, matching stud earrings and a white gold rope bracelet. Grissom chose her yellow gold set, which she liked very much. The necklace had a butterfly pendant with a tiny diamond in each wing. The earrings were a smaller version of the pendant and hung on hooks and the bracelet was made of continuous butterflies around her wrist.

"Miss, would you like to look at the rings that would match those?"

"Uh, no thank you. The only rings I want to wear are an engagement ring and a wedding band."

Grissom interjected, "Why don't you at least look? You might change your mind."

"You know, you're supposed to let me win the next one, but I won't waste it on this. So, fine, I will look at them."

The clerk sized her finger; she tried on both rings, but chose not to get either. "Thank you for at least looking."

"You're welcome."

"Would you like to look at engagement rings while you're here? We have a lovely selection."

Sara stuttered, "Uh…no…uh…thank you anyway. We're done here."

Grissom smiled and chuckled then paid for their purchases. On his way out, Sara spotted him looking at the watches. She decided that she would tough the mall out one more time to come back and buy him a new watch for Christmas.

Finally, they left the mall and headed home for a night of tree decorating.


	12. Chapter 12

12

The next morning, Sara sat staring at their beautifully decorated tree. It was the first time in a very long time that she actually looked forward to Christmas morning. She hadn't had a tree since before college; maybe even high school. Christmas morning hadn't involved presents since before her mother murdered her father. This year would be her first official Merry Christmas in a long time.

Grissom interrupted her thoughts, "You know, after we draw names at breakfast Friday morning, we're going to have go shopping again."

"I was actually thinking of a gift certificate or something."

"Sara!"

"I know, I know. But I think it would be good depending on whom I get. I mean, if I get Catherine, she might enjoy a spa gift certificate. Nick would probably like a gift certificate to that sports store that he likes in the mall. And I was thinking if I got Warrick, I'd get him tickets to that jazz show that's coming to the Summerlin Library Performing Arts Center."

"Wow, you've actually really thought about this."

"Yes."

"Well, I do have some more shopping I need to do. Maybe Friday, after we draw names, we could each do our shopping then meet back here."

"Okay. I should probably go to my apartment here in the next couple days if we're going to be staying here until Christmas. I need to get some more clothes and I should probably just bring my plants over here."

"You know, I love that plant by your computer. You know, the vine one."

"You should. You bought it."

"What?"

"That's the plant."

"You mean the one I sent to you like three years ago?"

"Yes. The card is taped to the top of my computer screen. I can't believe you haven't read it."

"I don't believe I've ever sat at your computer. But just because the card is on your computer screen doesn't mean I'd realize that was the plant."

"Well, it is. It's my favorite also."

"Good."

"Do you mind hanging around here today? I know I have tons of laundry to do and you must have a pile, too."

"Actually I do. That would be fine. Maybe we could play a game of chess."

"Great."

"Would you like to catch a movie tonight? I'd like to take you to the drive-in over on West Carey."

"Okay. Then maybe we could swing by my place after."

"Good."

Sara spent the day doing laundry and in between they played two games of chess. She actually won the second one, but was sure he let her. Even so, she thought it was cute. They saw the new romantic comedy that was playing in the theater then gathered the things she needed from her apartment.

When they got into bed that night, Grissom pulled out a small box with a ribbon on top. "Remember the night I got hit by that car?" After a 'duh' look from Sara, he continued, "Well, I was going out that night to get this for you. Think of it as an early Christmas gift."

"Grissom!"

"Oh, it's nothing, really. Just open it."

She opened it to see a key lying in a bed of cotton. "What's this?"

"It's a key."

"Yes, I can see that. What does it unlock?"

"My front door. I thought that you should have your own key."

Just a simple key, but it was a huge step for him. It meant he was opening his life up to her. It was something he couldn't control. She could use it whenever she wanted. No matter where he was or what he was doing, she could always use it. "Thank you so much. This means the world to me."

"Good. I'm glad you like it. Sara, you know I love you right?"

"Yes. I love you, too. Why would you ask that?"

"Because…well, because this is all sort of like a dream to me. I sometimes wonder whether I'm going to wake up one morning and realize that all this was just one big fantasy. I've lost my grasp. I…think of what might happen if this were all taken away and…I just…I just…I guess I'm just scared…of losing you. Do you remember that case we worked on in conjunction with the FBI? The 'Strip Strangler'?"

"Yes."

"When you decided to be the bait for that guy, well, I know I went over the line. I know that I was…harsh…with you. When I was sitting in that van watching you walk through that grocery store, I felt like I was dying a little with every step you took. I know we were right there watching you, but I just felt like you were so far out of my control that I might lose you. If that guy would've…"

"Grissom. He didn't get me. And…I'm sorry. I just wanted to catch the guy. I should've listened to you."

"I just don't want to lose you. I lost you once, and I know that was my fault. I just want to make sure that every day I do my best to make sure you know you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'll do anything to make you happy."

"Grissom, you do. _You_ make me happy. You don't have to do anything besides just be you. I love you."

"I love you, too."


	13. Chapter 13

13

Friday morning they drew names at breakfast. Sara drew Catherine's name but Grissom wouldn't tell her whose name he got. They separated that day for the first time since Grissom's accident. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will, Sara. Don't worry. I'll see you back home in a while."

After a kiss, they each got into their cars and drove in different directions. Since it was still only seven o'clock, Sara decided she'd make her first stop Wal-Mart to buy wrapping paper, bows and tags. Then she went to her apartment to wrap the presents she'd already gotten. By ten o'clock, she had everything wrapped and loaded into the car. Her next stop was the Hilton Hotel and Spa where she purchased the 'Simplicity' package for Catherine. It included a 50-minute massage and some kind of scrub. The receptionist ensured her that it was a perfect gift. After that, she headed to the dreaded mall to buy Grissom's watch. She'd also seen a nice chess set in one of the store's windows she'd like to get him. By one o'clock, she was headed home.

Grissom was at the travel agent's office by seven thirty, just in time to make his appointment. "Mr. Grissom, thank you for coming."

"Thank you for seeing me so early."

"This is no problem. Now, when we spoke on the phone, you said you were interested in a cruise. Is that still the case?"

"Yes, to the Bahamas in early January."

"Okay. I have printed out a few of your choices here. Do you know how many nights you'd like to stay?"

"Well, what are my choices?"

"Well, the most common ones range from three to fourteen nights."

"Three is too short, fourteen is too long. Were does that get us?"

"How about a price range?"

"You know those commercials that say 'something $20, something $30, something priceless'?"

"Yes. Mastercard I believe."

"Well, this falls in that last category."

"Oh, I understand. So, I think if three nights is too short, than four might be also?"

"Yes. I'd like to be gone around a week. Do they have five or six night cruises?"

"Yes. Carnival has a five night cruise on the 'Celebration' ship leaving Jacksonville on the 13th of January. They also have one leaving on the 6th from Port Canaveral on the 'Elation'."

"Well, the one on the sixth sounds better just because of the date. But are the amenities any different?"

"I think we might be able to narrow this with your room choice."

"Room choice?"

"Yes. There are three different types of rooms; interior, ocean view and suites."

"Not interior. What's the difference between suite and ocean view?"

"Ocean view is a regular room with a small window or a porthole. A suite is top of the line. Some have butler services, minibars, robes and in-room dining."

"Suite."

"I thought you'd say that. That helps with your cruise selection. It looks like the one on the 13th is sold out of suites. So we'll go with the one on the 6th."

"Good."

After a few more selections, Grissom paid for his purchase and whistled while he walked to his car. He decided he would wrap up the cruise line's magazine with the printed out itinerary to put under the tree. He'd drawn Sara's name at breakfast that morning, which was absolutely perfect. He had to put a rush on her gift to be able to pick it up on Monday, which cost a little more than he'd expected, but he decided not to put a price on Christmas.

At eleven o'clock he pulled into the parking lot at the crime lab. Again, he was right on time for his appointment. "Morning Conrad."

"Morning, Gil. What can I do for you?"

"Well I asked to meet with you today because I'd like to step down as Shift Supervisor."

"Hah! You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not."

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"You have to do better than that, Gil."

"It's personal."

"Personal? Are you dying? Moving? Found another job?"

"No."

"So?"

"I told you; it's personal."

"Well, without a reason, I'm going to deny you're request."

"Fine. I quit then. I'd like the rest of my vacation turned in. Have a nice life, Conrad."

Grissom stood and walked toward the door. "Wait! Come back here and sit down."

Grissom turned, but didn't move toward the chair. "What?"

"Grissom, the lab needs you."

"You know, Conrad, I've used that line myself. It didn't work for me, and it's not going to work for you."

"Fine. Would you please sit down?" After he sat, Conrad continued, "Okay, the deal is, is if I lose you, I look bad. I don't like to look bad. So, if I have to let you step down to keep you, then fine. You can step down pending you find your own replacement."

"Done. Catherine can just continue to be supervisor when I come back."

"That would have been my choice."

"So, we're good here?"

"Yes. We'll announce this on your first day back."

"Thank you." With that, Grissom walked out and silently thanked Catherine for her bit of advice. He couldn't believe he'd actually pulled it off. His first try at politicking and it went just as planned.

Next stop, the mall. Now that he had all of Sara's sizes, he'd buy her what she needed for the cruise. He only saw her once at the mall and he managed to stay out of her sight. She was carrying a small bag and was making a beeline to her next purchase. He laughed as he walked into the dress shop. By two o'clock, Grissom was in line at the gift-wrapping center in the mall. He'd had everything put into boxes, but there was still a lot of wrapping to do. The attendant said it would be about an hour before his things were ready, so he made a call to Sara to see if she wanted to meet for lunch.

"Hi!"

"Hi, Hon., I was wondering if you wanted to meet me for lunch. I miss you."

"I miss you, too. That would be great. Where are you?"

"I'm at the mall. Do you want to meet at Einstein Brothers Bagels?"

"Sounds good. Be there in about twenty minutes."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you, too."

From behind him, he heard, "Love you?"

Grissom turned to see Conrad standing behind him, "Why, hello, Conrad."

"Hi, Gil. Is this part of that personal reason you had for stepping down?"

"What are you doing here, Conrad? Did you follow me?"

"God, no. Do you think I have time for that? I came here to pick up a Christmas gift for my wife."

"Well, I'll just let you shop, then. I have somewhere I need to be."

"I heard. So, you're not going to tell me anything?"

"No." With that, he walked away to go meet Sara, hoping Conrad wasn't following.


	14. Chapter 14

14

By Friday everything was all set for the get together with the crew. They'd decided to go with informal dress and everyone was bringing a dish to go with Grissom's lasagna. Sara was in charge of the salad. The vegetables always seemed to be her specialty. Everyone showed up around five so that the graveyard shift could still go in after. Better late than never.

After dinner, everyone moved to the Christmas tree to exchange gifts. Sara chose to give her gift first. Catherine was amazed at Sara's thoughtfulness. She went next and gave Greg his gift. She'd gone to a pawn dealer and bought him several pieces for his coin collection and a new case to put them in.

"Wow! Thanks Cath. This is great!"

"You're welcome, Greg. I put the card in the box of the place where I got all that. The guy said if you had doubles of anything, just come in and he'd exchange them for you."

"Thanks. Okay, so that makes me next. Here ya go Nick." Nick opened a gift certificate for 'Sky Dive Las Vegas'. "Since you've been getting into all these extreme sports lately, I thought you'd like that. It's for a 1 mile high jump and a picture cd."

"Thanks Greggo! This is great. I know what I'm doin' on my next day off."

Nick moved on and gave Warrick his gift.

"Thanks."

"I heard through the grapevine that you wanted tickets to this show. They were pretty cheap, so I had the ticket agent pick out a couple other sets, too."

Warrick opened an envelope with four sets of tickets to different jazz events coming up in the next couple months, including the one he'd been talking about at the Summerlin Performing Arts Center. "This is great, Nick. I don't know who told you, but I'm glad you were listening." Grissom gave Sara a smirk. "Here ya go, Gris. Guess it's your turn."

Inside an envelope, Grissom found movie tickets, symphony tickets, concert tickets, baseball tickets and a couple restaurant gift certificates. "Thanks Warrick. This is great."

"Yeah, well, I figured since you _finally_ have someone to do things with, I'd help you enjoy it a little."

"You are exactly right. So, I guess that brings us to you, Miss Sidle."

"I guess it does. So this is why you wouldn't tell me who you picked."

"Yes, it is. So, I actually have two gifts. The first is not one I can wrap. I'm not supposed to tell anyone this until I go back to work when Ecklie can make the announcement, but I'm going to tell all of you. I would appreciate it if we could keep it between us." After nods of heads around the room, he continued, "I spoke to Ecklie last week and I told him I was stepping down as supervisor."

It was Sara who interrupted him, "Grissom!"

"Sara. Let me finish. I told him my reasons were personal. He told me if I didn't give him a good reason, he would not grant my request. Thanks to Catherine, I told him that in that case I would have to quit. After I got up to leave, he called me back to sit and told me he'd let me step down."

"Good for you Grissom. Who's taking your place?"

"Well, Catherine, that would be you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You deserve it."

"Thank you."

"Merry Christmas."

"Now, my reasoning for stepping down, as I'm sure you all have figured out, is because it is against the lab's policy to date your supervisor. Now that I am no longer her supervisor, Sara and I are free to date." He saw a tear roll down Sara's cheek, "Don't cry yet, Hon, I'm not done. The only other policy that will affect us is that a married couple can't work on the same shift. But that will be in the future and we will deal with that then. But for now," Grissom stood and reached in his pocket. He pulled out a small box, bent down on one knee in front of Sara, watched her bring her hands to her face and started the speech that he'd run through his head about a billion times. The room around them disappeared as he began, "Sara Sidle, you are, by far, my object of perfection. You are what I dream about at night, what I think about during the day, what I smile about, what I laugh about and what I cry about. You complete me in every sense of the word. I realize now that, without you, I am nothing. I know that this might be complicated, and I know that I am not the easiest person to deal with sometimes. But I am willing to devote my whole heart and soul to making this work and making you happy. I have fallen so deeply in love with you that I can't imagine spending one second of my life without you. It would be my greatest pleasure and eternal joy if you would be my wife."

Grissom opened the tiny box and inside laid the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen in her life. It was a combination of the two rings she'd tried on at the jewelers. The two bands were wrapped together like a rope and the butterfly sat on top. There were two tiny diamonds, one in each wing. There was also one larger diamond that made up the butterfly's body. The outer rims of the wings were lined with white gold. It was absolutely perfect. "Sara, will you marry me?"

Sara was crying, and all she could manage was to fall forward into his arms. When she finally pulled back, Grissom slipped the ring on her finger. Warrick whistled and they heard a few 'about times' around the room. Catherine was crying, but through her tears she managed, "Well, I think that made all the rest of our gifts look really bad."

A few giggles followed and Grissom apologized, "That was not my intention."

From Warrick, "Congrats, guys!"

And Nick, "Ditto."

"Well, Sara, since I couldn't have you, I'm glad you at least picked the next-best guy."

"Thanks, Greg. Grissom, it's perfect."

"It will match both sets of jewelry you picked out."

"I know. It's…it's just perfect." Sara showed off her ring to everyone in the room and after a few more congrats, everyone gathered their gifts, exchanged 'Merry Christmas's' and headed out.

After everyone was gone, Grissom drew Sara into his arms and said "Merry Christmas, Sara. I love you."

"I love you, too."


	15. Chapter 15

15

On Christmas Eve, Grissom went out to his car to bring in all Sara's gifts. They'd made a deal that he was not to go into the guest room. Figuring that was where she was hiding his gifts, he decided to just keep hers in his car. She brought things out of the guest room while he carried gifts inside. By the time everything was under the tree, it looked like they had about three children.

After they took a picture of the tree, Sara went over and picked a bag up. "Here. If I remember correctly, you're supposed to open one gift on Christmas Eve."

"Oh! Well, let me pick out one for you as well." Grissom studied the tree for a few moments, decided what to choose. He hadn't wrapped any of the gifts, so he wasn't sure what was in any of the boxes. There were a few he could guess at because of the size of the package, though. He decided to go with one of the boxes that looked like a shoebox. Surely that would not give away his ultimate gift. "Here. You first."

"Before I open this, I, uh, I'd like to thank you."

"But you haven't opened it yet."

"No, I mean, I haven't thanked you for what you did for me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean stepping down from your position. I know how much your job means to you and that must have been tough for you."

"Sara, I like being a CSI. I like following the evidence. There is no part of me that likes being supervisor. I hate the paperwork. I hate the 'politics'. And I hate the decisions. Some of the decisions I had to make are what prevented me from taking this step with you. I knew that I couldn't have been fair or objective if we'd been in a relationship. Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that…well…this decision was a whole lot easier than the next one we're going to have to make."

"Yes, I know."

"But let's not think of that right now. Just open your gift."

She opened the box to find a gorgeous pair of strapped silver dress sandals. They had only a slight heel, which she loved and they buckled at the ankle. "These are beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Now open yours."

Grissom pulled the gift out of the bag. "Uh…I believe this would actually be for you." Inside he'd found a red, satin negligee. There were spaghetti straps and black lace around the bottom hem. The plunging v-neck would leave little to the imagination and the length would only barely cover her behind.

"Well, it might be actually for me, but technically, it would be for you."

"Well…technically…uh…"

"No pressure. I just wanted you to know that it's yours and you can, uh, use it whenever you'd like."

"Well…thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm, uh, going to jump in the shower."

"Okay." She's never seen him move so fast in his life.

When he'd finished with his shower, Sara slipped into the bathroom. The room was not steamy at all. He'd obviously taken a cold shower. She smiled to herself as she got into the shower. At one point, she thought she heard the door open, but when she called his name, Grissom did not answer. When she got out though, she saw that her robe had been replaced on the hook on the back of the door with Grissom's gift.

When she walked out of the bathroom, there were no lights on. He'd lit candles and had music on. He was good at romance when he needed to be. She walked to the edge of the bed.

"May I?"

His jaw was dropped slightly. "By all means."

"Good." She crawled in next to him. He turned toward her. "Uh…I just want you to know that I didn't buy this to try and force you to…"

Grissom put a finger to her lips, "Sshh. I'm fine. Just, uh, well…I haven't done this in a really long time, so…"

Sara silenced him with a kiss. "I love you, Grissom."

"I love you, too, Sara."

In between kisses, "Grissom?"

"What?"

"Make love to me."


	16. Chapter 16

16

The next morning, for the first time since they'd been together, they both slept past seven: in fact, neither one of them stirred until after eight. It was Grissom who woke first. Shifting his weight off of her a little more, he started feathering kisses all over her face and neck until her eyes fluttered open. "Good morning. Beautiful."

"Good morning, My Future Husband."

That comment drew a huge smile from him. "Shower?"

"Definitely. But after…"

"…You brush your teeth and go to the bathroom. Uh…may I join you?"

"You want to brush your teeth with me?"

"Sure. But I was really talking about the shower."

"Yes, I know. I was just kidding. And, yes, you may."

"Good. I'll go start the coffee and I'll be right in." He rolled away from her after kissing her forehead. On the way out, "Oh! Merry Christmas!"

Sara smiled as she watched his naked behind walked out of the bedroom. He was a gorgeous chunk of man. Grissom joined her in the shower a few minutes later and wrapped his arms around her. The water was only slightly warm by the time they got around to actually showering. She was shocked at his strength when he'd lifted her and wrapped her legs around his waist. The only place the water felt warm was against her back, which had just been pressed against the cold tile.

Ten minutes later, they were both out of the shower and getting dressed. After handing her a cup of coffee, it was Grissom who turned into a little boy. "Can we just go right to opening the gifts?"

"You don't want to read the paper?"

"Not today."

"Breakfast?"

"I had breakfast in the shower."

Sara burst out laughing. "Well, I was thinking about something a little more nutritious."

"Oh!"

"How about a bowl of fruit and we'll eat it while we open gifts?"

"I'm not hungry, really."

"Remember that argument that you were supposed to let me win?"

"Yes, because of the shopping."

"Well, I'm turning it in now."

"Fruit it is."

"Good."

Once they were seated in front of the Christmas tree, Grissom set his fruit on the floor beside him and immediately pulled a gift out and handed it to her.

"Wait! Are we rotating? Or should one of us open all of our gifts then the other?"

"Why don't you open some, then I'll open some? I think, maybe you have more packages to open than I do."

"Yes, I can see that you purchased the whole mall."

"Not nearly. Now open!"

"Okay, okay."

By the time they were halfway through, Sara had opened three shorts outfits, two sundresses, several pairs of shoes, two bathing suits and a very nice eveningwear set that included a sleeveless dark red top and black satin pants. Grissom had opened a leather jacket, a collection of entomology textbooks, a couple pairs of loafers and a few short-sleeved polo shirts.

When Sara paused to eat some of her fruit, Grissom followed her lead. After waiting for a few very impatient minutes, he handed her another gift. The next few packages held a semi-formal royal blue and silver dress, a couple pairs of capris with matching sleeveless tops, a couple more pairs of shoes and a beach bag full of suntan lotion, a beach towel, sunglasses, flip-flops and a cover-up.

"Grissom! Are you trying to replace my whole wardrobe here, or what?"

"I just…like shopping for you. They're all things that you didn't get on our last shopping trip."

"Fine!"

"You don't like some of them?"

"I love all of them! You just spoil me, that's all."

"Good, then I'm doing my job."

"You're nuts!"

"Nuts about you."

After a huge smile, she handed him another gift. He opened a few more gifts including a couple pair of driving gloves, a few crossword puzzle books with a note in there about a subscription, cologne, aftershave and key chain she'd had specially designed. On one side, there was a locket that held a tiny picture of her on one side and the words 'I love you' on the other, and on the other side she'd had their initials, 'GG' and 'SS' entwined and engraved. "This is gorgeous, Sara."

"Thank you. I did the design myself."

"I can see that. Although, it'll be wrong soon."

"Why?"

"We'll have to change that 'SS' to 'SG' now won't we?" That brought a huge smile to the speechless Sara Sidle. "So, how about I finish off my gifts then you can finish off yours?"

"You have to be last, don't you?"

"I'd like the last two things I bought you to be opened last, yes."

"Fine. You win. Open the small one first."

Grissom opened the small package first and found the watch she'd bought inside. "How did you know I wanted to buy a new watch?"

"I saw you looking at them on the way out of the jewelry store the day you bought my jewelry."

"I forget that you see everything."

"I learned from the best."

With a smile on his face, he wasted no time putting the new watch on and setting the time then moved to open his last gift. When he finally got all the paper off the chess set she picked out, his eyes lit up like a light bulb. "I've wanted this set for about a year now. I've just been too cheep to spend this kind of money on myself. This is too much, Sara."

"No, it's not. You've spent way more than that on me since we've started dating, I'm sure; especially with the cost of all these gifts."

"It's perfect, thank you."

"Merry Christmas."

"I guess that means it's your turn." He handed her the first gift.

She opened it to find a floor-length evening gown. The underlying satin fabric was a perfect white with an overlay of silver flecked chiffon with two half-inch matching straps to go over the shoulders. It was simplicity at it's finest. "Grissom, this is breathtaking."

"Here, open this."

With a little hesitation, she set the dress aside to open her final gift. When she pulled the tissue paper aside to see the cruise itinerary lying there, she gasped, "Grissom!"

"That's what all these gifts were for. I wanted you to have a brand new wardrobe to wear on our cruise."

"And you yelled at me for spending too much on your chess set?"

"I did not yell."

"This is true. But you never actually yell. Anyway, oh my goodness! I can't believe we're going on a cruise in less than two weeks! This is fabulous! I've never been on a cruise."

"Me neither. It'll be a first for both of us."


	17. Chapter 17

17

They decided to stay home on New Year's Eve. Neither one of them liked the crowds nor the fact that everyone would be driving home intoxicated. Instead, they had a nice dinner, rented a pay-per-view movie and by 11:30, they were cuddled on the couch with their coffee cups.

While watching the crowd on television in New York City, Grissom commented, "I don't understand why people would want to be there tonight. There is no way I'd want to be squashed between ten drunk people like a sardine on a cold New York City street at midnight on New Year's Eve. Don't these people have common sense? And the people that get married there? My, God, what is the world coming to?"

"I'd have to agree with you about not wanting to be there, but I think getting married there might be romantic."

"Romantic? With all that yelling and shouting? All those people that you don't even know? And there is no way I want my wedding televised!"

"Afraid of who might be watching?"

"No. You know how private I am. I actually wouldn't care if there was no one else there but you, me and the Justice of the Peace."

"No minister? No religious ceremony?"

"Is that what you want?"

"No. I actually would prefer a non-denominational or a non-religious ceremony, but I thought you were brought up catholic."

"I was. But have you seen me go to church for anything other than a funeral or a case?"

"No."

"That's because I don't believe in church. I believe in God, but not religion. I don't believe that a church, which is just a group of people, should be able to tell me how to live my life. Therefore, no minister, father, priest or reverend."

"What about your mother? Wouldn't you want her there?"

"I guess I never thought about it. She wouldn't be able to hear anything."

"But she'd be able to watch. She'd get the point. You must have gotten your intelligence from her."

"I like to think so. I suppose I would want her to see me get married. But she's even more private than me and she hates to travel. Maybe we should just go visit her."

"I'd love to meet your mother."

"I'd like you to meet her. We'll plan a trip."

"Okay. So, you want a small, non-religious, very private ceremony."

"Is that all right with you?"

"It's perfect."

"Good. You know, we should probably go look at wedding rings."

"You know, I was thinking, and I don't know what I want to do about that. I don't think we're going to find a wedding band I can wear with this ring you designed."

"I guess I never thought about that. So, do you want a band at all?"

"It's not that I don't want one, it's just that you put so much thought into designing this ring that I don't want to take away from it."

"Well, maybe we could think of something else. I was thinking that I'd like to inscribe our initials on my wedding band, like on the key chain you bought me for Christmas."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"The mall will be closed tomorrow, but maybe we could go to the jewelry store on Tuesday."

"Okay." Pointing to the television, "Look. There's a couple getting married."

"And you find that romantic?"

"Well, they say that what you're doing when the ball drops at midnight is what you'll be doing all year. What better thing could there be than celebrating being married?"

Without a word, Grissom shut off the television, stood up, picked Sara up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. When he laid her down on the bed, he said, "I can think of one thing."

"Grissom!"

"You know I'm right."

"You usually are."

"And?"

"Well, you have about ten minutes to be, uh, doing whatever it is that you want to be doing when the clock strikes midnight."

"That would definitely be you."

Neither one of them knew at what point midnight hit, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that they would love each other for the rest of their lives.


	18. Chapter 18

18

On Tuesday, they went to the jewelry store to look at wedding rings for Grissom. He found one that he liked that he could get inscribed and didn't waste any time purchasing it. The initials would not be intertwined because the print would be too small on the size ring he was looking at, but instead they would be side by side with a heart in the middle. They talked to the jeweler about Sara's ring and she agreed that there would be no ring that would compliment her engagement ring. The only solution, if she wanted to wear a ring, would be to wear it on a different finger. When he saw her nose curl up at that idea, Grissom knew they would have to take an alternative route.

While they were at the mall, Sara made him shop for some new things for the cruise. First on the list was a tuxedo. With a little argument, since he spent his life wearing black, she convinced him to go with white. After that, she tried to get him to buy some shorts, but lost that battle to some casual pants. After a few more purchases, which included a couple bathing suits, they headed for lunch.

Over lunch, Grissom was shocked when Sara recommended she get a tattoo in place of a wedding band. "A tattoo? Sara! No."

"Why not? I think it would be cute. I could get our initials tattooed…somewhere."

"No, Sara. I don't want you putting marks all over yourself."

"It's not all over, Grissom. It's just one place."

"No."

"Fine. Do you have a better idea?"

"Well, what about just wearing a band on a necklace?"

"I guess I could do that. I just really like the jewelry you bought me."

"All right. What if we do this? I'd like to have a simple band to place on your finger during our ceremony. After that, you don't even have to wear it. If you want, you can just put it into your jewelry box. I don't need you to wear a ring just to prove to the world we're married. We'll know we're married, that's all that matters to me. How's that?"

"Hey. Maybe I could make it into a key chain."

"A key chain?"

"Yeah. I mean, they have cases for pictures to make them into key chains. They must have cases somewhere that I could put my ring and maybe a picture of the two of us and make it into a key chain."

"Okay, we'll try that. Either way, we have to go back to the jewelry store."

After lunch, they headed back to the jewelry store and picked out Sara's ring. They had to send it out to get sized and the jeweler told them they could pick both rings up on Friday.

"Grissom, we leave for our cruise on Friday."

"Well, our flight isn't until two. We can stop here on our way."

The clerk asked, "Honeymooning before the wedding?"

"It was my Christmas gift. We leave Saturday from Port Canaveral and sail to the Bahamas for five nights."

"Sounds wonderful. But I thought you just said you were leaving Friday?"

Grissom explained, "There were no first class flights that could've gotten us there without huge layovers or leaving in the middle of the night unless we take the flight in on Friday."

"I see. Well, we'll see you both, Friday, then."

In unison, "Thank you."


	19. Chapter 19

19

The first day of their cruise was just like a dream. Dinner, even though they were allowed semi casual dress, was served as if they were royalty. They had an itinerary for the night, which included several forms of entertainment, but they chose, instead, to dance to their own music underneath the starlight on the upper deck of the ship. He hummed a tune as he spun her around in his arms. When his song ended, he gathered her tighter in his arms and they walked to the rail to watch the water below them.

"Grissom, this is absolutely perfect."

"I feel the same way." He started kissing the back of her neck. When she shivered, "Cold?"

"Chills."

"Good." He twisted her in his arms and cupped her face in his hands, "Would you mind if we, uh, retired for the night early?"

"Tired?"

With a devilish grin, "No."

"Good."

Around midnight, Sara woke when she felt Grissom jerk. He was sitting up when she opened her eyes. "Grissom? You okay?" When he didn't reply, she sat up and put her hand on his back. He was drenched with sweat. "Grissom! What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. Nothing. I'm fine."

"Grissom! You're drenched with sweat. And you never wake up in the middle of the night. Don't lie to me. What's wrong?"

He turned toward her, "I'm sorry. I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"Tell me."

"I had a dream the you fell overboard. I reached out to grab you, but I couldn't get to you. I jumped over to save you, but you were gone. I lost you."

"I'm fine. And you haven't lost me. I'm right here."

He gathered her in his arms, "God, Sara. It was the worst dream…"

"Hey. Calm down. I'll make a deal with you. The only time I'll go near a railing is if you're there to hold on to me, okay?" After a few minutes, she pulled back and looked into his eyes, "Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. I'm hungry."

"With a ravishing look in his eyes, he agreed, "Me too."

"No, I meant for real food."

"Oh. Room service?"

"Or the midnight buffet."

"We'd have to shower first."

"Race ya!"

Without even putting forth a lot of effort, he captured her in his arms. He carried her to the small bathroom, "Tie."

"Fine."

They got to the buffet about a half hour later. He was shocked, "I didn't realize there were so many people that ate at midnight."

"Yeah, well, maybe they all worked up an appetite."

"Hmm. Like us?"

"That's what I had in mind."

"So you think that all these people here just finished making love?"

"It is a cruise, Grissom. People come on these things for romance. But no, I'd say, maybe half."

"I'm going to find us a seat."

"I'll be right there."

Grissom walked away to find a table. He sat down at a nearby table and was shocked when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Excuse me."

He turned to find an older couple, the woman with her hand on his shoulder. "Yes?"

"My husband and I just wanted to stop and tell you that you and your wife are a lovely couple. We, uh, saw you earlier dancing on the deck. It was very romantic. You reminded us of ourselves when we were younger."

"Well, thank you."

Sara walked up just as the couple was walking away, "Who were they?"

"I didn't get their names, but they just stop to let me know that my wife and I are a 'lovely couple.'"

"Really? Do we need to talk? Because, you just made love to me, so your wife might get really mad about that." After she smiled, they both laughed. "Did you bother to tell her we weren't married, yet?"

"Nope."

"It'll come back to bite you. It did me. Remember the hospital?"

"Yep. That was actually cute."

"Yeah!"


	20. Chapter 20

20

The next day, they enjoyed activities on the boat and went to their room early to get ready for the formal party with the captain of the ship. Sara was breathtaking in her gown and Grissom had to admit that he looked good standing next to her in white. When they entered the room, he noticed a lot of people turn around to stare. She was surprised to see how well Grissom mingled with the crowd. He usually wasn't good with people. Most people thought they were married; some they corrected, and some they didn't. She showed off her ring to a few people, and everyone thought it was striking.

When they finally made it to the Captain, he asked them if they'd join him at his table. They agreed, and continued around the room until moving to the dining room for dinner. When they were seated, the Captain made a toast to them, calling them the best-looking couple on board. After the toast, he asked, "How long have you two been married?"

After exchanging looks, Grissom explained, "We're actually not married. We're engaged."

"Oh? Wow! You know, I've heard a lot of rumors about the two of you in the past day, especially at the party tonight. I heard, this was your honeymoon and that this was an anniversary present. I heard you were married a year, a week, and all different amounts of years. I even heard that you were having an affair and this was your time away from your real spouses. You guys are very popular."

"We haven't tried to be."

"Well, you both do look like a match made in heaven. You don't have to do much to draw attention to yourselves. So, you're engaged, huh? Far be it for me to interfere, but I think you should consider using that as your wedding dress, Miss."

"Please, it's Sara, and you're not interfering. It's actually a very nice compliment."

After dinner, they went to the piano bar to listen to some music and have a drink. While they were dancing, he whispered in her ear, "You know, a lot of people think we should get married."

"MmmMmm. And so do we."

"I hear a 'but' in your voice."

"But, well, we just can't right know."

They danced the rest of the song in silence and sat down. "Sara? Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just that all this talk about marriage got me thinking."

"About what?"

"Marriage!"

"And?"

"Grissom. You are a very intelligent man. I can't believe you're ignoring the facts. I know you told me you weren't rationalizing, and I am trying really hard not to either, but the facts are the facts. We've bought wedding rings, Grissom! Wedding rings!"

"Why is that bad, Sara?"

"Because, Grissom, we can't get married right now."

"Why?"

"You are clueless, aren't you? Grissom, we can't be married and work together. It's in the rules. We haven't even talked about this. I know that we've been living in this fantasy world, but it's time we come back to earth if we're gonna continue this."

"Sara, calm down."

"I am calm, Grissom. I just…need to talk about this."

"Okay, okay. I guess my 'no rationalizing rule' has gotten away from me. All I know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't see any part of my future without you. The rest just doesn't matter to me."

"So you're willing to give up your work, your job, to be married to me?" After a few moments of silence, "I didn't think so. I, uh, need some air." So that it wouldn't look like they'd had a fight and she was storming away, she kissed his cheek when she stood, then walked away.

Grissom sat, stunned at how the events had just turned. He wondered if he should go after her, but knew that she probably just needed time to think. Instead, he ordered a double bourbon on the rocks and tried to figure out how to fix this mess. Everything was going so well. Just when he felt like his life was moving on the right track, the train took a detour. He was finally happy with the woman he loved, and now they were having their first argument as a couple over getting married. Amusingly enough, he was not the one arguing that they shouldn't.

But was he willing to make the sacrifices needed to get married? That was her question. Of course, he'd thought about it. He knew their jobs would be their worst obstacle; that's why he stepped down as supervisor. But he never thought he'd want to get married this fast. Quitting his job hadn't entered his mind. And he would never ask her to jeopardize her career for him. He'd been a CSI 3 for almost 30 years, now, and Sara was only 35 years old. She had a huge future ahead of her.

He was jerked form his thoughts by a familiar voice, "Excuse me? Do you remember us?"

"Yes. We met at the midnight buffet."

"Yes. Well, we just saw your pretty wife…well, she let us know you two weren't married."

"Oh?"

"What my wife is trying to tell you, Sir, is that you might want to go find her. She, uh, looked pretty upset, and she was crying."

Grissom stood, "Where did you see her?"

"At the back of the boat, by the railing."

Grissom broke into a run, nearly knocking the couple over. 'No. Not the railing.'


	21. Chapter 21

21

It took a lot for Sara to walk away form him. But she just felt smothered sitting in that room. How could he not have thought this far ahead? How could she let herself get so wrapped up in this relationship and not see that their future was doomed? There was no way that Grissom could choose between her and his job. And he hadn't even talked to her about what she thought. Not that she even knew what she thought, but they should have at least talked about it. Could she really give up her job to be married to him? Is it a choice she'd regret later?

"Miss, are you okay?"

Sara turned to see the couple Grissom was talking to at the midnight buffet. "Oh, hello. Uh, yes, I'm fine."

"But you're crying."

Sara reached a hand to her face. She hadn't even realized she'd started crying. "Uh, I'm fine, really."

"Would you like us to go find your husband for you?"

"I…we're not married."

"Oh. We're very sorry, we just assumed. Well, if you're sure you're all right, we'll leave you alone."

"I'm sure." The couple walked away and left Sara to dry her tears. She wished she hadn't told them she wasn't married. She wished she'd have told them to go find Grissom and send him to her. She just wanted his arms around her and him to tell her everything was going to be all right. She was so in love with him. There had to be a way for them to get through this. Swallowing her pride, she went to go look for him herself. But when she got back to the piano bar, he was gone.


	22. Chapter 22

22

He was out of breath when he reached the back of the boat. He wanted to yell her name, but all he could manage was a whisper, "Sara! God, Sara! No!" His nightmare had come true. God! Why had he ever let her leave? This was all his fault. The tears were burning his eyes and he felt like he could throw up any second. He fell to his hands and knees and continued saying her name, "Sara! Sara!"

"Sir, are you all right?"

Grissom looked up and through his tears, he managed, "Uh…I…don't…know."

"Do you need a doctor?" Without waiting for an answer, the man started yelling, "We need a doctor! Somebody get a doctor!"

"No. No. I…"

"Shhh. It's gonna be all right, Sir. Just relax."

There was a group of people surrounding him, now. One woman said, "Hey! That's the guy everybody thought was the best-looking couple at the party tonight. Where's his wife? Has somebody gone to find her?"

Grissom tried to stop them, "No. I just…" But she and a few other people moved away to go look for Sara. A few seconds later, a man pushed through the crowd saying he was the cruise's doctor. Grissom tried to protest, but was too weak to argue. At that point, he didn't even know if he cared.

After checking his eyes, pulse, temperature and blood pressure, the doctor said he looked fine. "Sir, what happened?"

-----------------------------------------------------

Sara was walking toward their suite when a man grabbed her by the arm, "Miss, come quick. It's your husband!"

She got the same sinking feeling as the night Nick had showed up at her door. "What?"

"Just come with me. The doctor should be with him, now."

"Oh, God! Grissom!" She followed the man as he tugged her along by her wrist. When they got to the back of this ship, she could see through the crowd that Grissom was lying on the deck. She pushed through the crowd and fell to her knees beside him. His eyes were closed. "Grissom!"

When his eyes opened, she threw herself on his chest. "Sara?"

"Oh, Grissom! God, you scared me half to death."

He sat up and gathered her onto his lap and started to cry again. "Sara. I'm fine. I thought you…I mean…the couple…they said…and I thought…but…"

"I love you, Grissom."

"I love you, too, Honey."

"Uh…sorry to interrupt, but are you all right now, Sir? Can you tell me what happened?"

Grissom looked up at the doctor, forgetting that everyone was still standing around them. "Uh…yes, I'm fine. It's, uh, kind of a long story. Could, uh, we have a few minutes, please?"

"Sure. Do you know where the medical office is?"

"Yes."

"Okay. If you'd just come there when you're finished, I have to get you to fill out a couple forms."

"Fine."

"Okay, let's go people. Everything's fine here. Go back to what you were doing."

After everyone had finally moved away, he spoke, "I'm sorry I scared you. I just…well…that couple, they came by to tell me you were crying and you were by the railing. Then when I got back here, you weren't here. I thought…"

"Oh, God, Grissom. You thought I'd fallen overboard."

"Yes."

"I'd gone back to find you. I told the couple we weren't married and then I felt bad. I wanted to find you and apologize."

"You don't have to apologize for telling the truth."

"No, I mean apologize for the argument."

"Oh."

"I guess we both got a scare tonight. I thought you'd had a heart attack or something."

"I believe that's what everyone else thought, also. But I'm fine. I just thought I'd lost you."

"Grissom? Let's never do this again."

"Everyone argues, Sara. It's normal."

"I know, but…"

"I know, from now on, we just need to be able to talk to each other. We've talked through everything so far, and look how far we've gotten. We just have to talk this thing through."

"Okay."

"How about we go to the doc's, fill out the paperwork, go back to our suite and order some room service. Then we'll have a nice, long talk." He felt her shake her head against his chest. "Uh, as much as I'd like to pretend I'm a stud, here, there's no way I can stand up like this and bring you with me."


	23. Chapter 23

23

After ordering some champagne, fruits, chocolates and dips Sara and Grissom curled up in bed, surrounded by the food. "You know, I had a little time to think after you left earlier. And, I think, maybe, I have a solution to our problem."

"Well, you're one step further than me, so, you start."

"Okay. I guess we should start with this. How do feel about us getting married?"

"If I didn't want to get married, I wouldn't have accepted the ring. It's not a question of whether or not I want to get married, Grissom. We, obviously both want the same thing. We just need to decide how to get there."

"Okay. I guess that's where my idea comes into play."

"So, what is it?"

"Well, as we both know, we cannot get married while we work together."

"Actually, we just can't work on the same shift."

"Okay. But if one of us were to change shifts, we'd probably never see each other right? I mean, one of us would be working while the other was home or sleeping. Doubles would kill us. Our marriage would fall apart before it even had a chance to grow."

"That's probably a pretty fair assumption."

"Do you agree, then, that the only solution is, if we want to get married, one of us will no longer be able to work at the lab?"

"If we get married, yes. I can't see any other options."

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "Before I say this, I just want you to know that there are not many things…no…there is not _anything_ else that I would give my job up for other than you."

"Grissom, I'm not asking you to give up your job. You've been there longer. I'll just transfer to another lab."

"Sara. No other lab anywhere near here is at the caliber we are. Besides, you have your whole future ahead of you. I won't watch you throw that away for me. I'd never forgive myself."

"Maybe, I'd be doing it for me."

"Okay, so we've established that you're willing to give up your position at the lab. Now, my idea involves myself."

"Of course."

"As you probably know, I have worked for the county for almost thirty years now."

"Yeah."

"Well, my thirty years is up May 17th, 2009."

"Um, Grissom. This is only January 7th, 2007."

"Yes, I realize that. But, I can retire May 17th of this year and my benefits will only be reduced by eight percent. Now, I know that's a lot to some people, but I've done pretty well for myself. I made a lot of good investments and I think we'll be fine without that eight percent. Besides, you are worth way more than eight percent of my retirement."

"Nine?"

"At least 100; maybe two."

"Grissom, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. I thought about it before, but then I guess I just pushed it to the back of my brain. I tend not to think of reality when you're around. So? What do you think?"

"I think I'm stunned. Maybe you should just take some time, Grissom. I mean, this is a big deal. I know, you're doing all right now, with this vacation from work, but what are you going to do? I'll have to work. I won't be home to spend all this time with you. I'm only 35. I only have six years service with the county. Even if I retire after thirty years, that still puts me at 59. That's 24 years, Grissom. What are you gonna do for 24 years while I work?"

"Well, I could start doing more seminars again. And UNLV has been asking me to consult with them on a new curriculum for the science department. I've always wanted to open an entomology museum; maybe I could do that. I'll be fine, Sara. If you stop maxing out on overtime, you'd only be gone for your regular shift every day. Besides, no one said you have to work until your 59. You just have to decide what you want to do."

"What do you mean, decide what I want to do?"

After a deep breath, he continued, "I mean, that you only have to work as long as you want. Of course, that is pending upon us being married."

"Why?"

"Because, Sara, I can take care of you. I told you before that I've made some good investments, which I have. I'm not trying to brag, but I'm a fairly wealthy guy. Now, I'm not saying that the two of us could just sit back and relax for the rest of our lives, but with my retirement, some seminars, maybe a part-time job for you and a few more wise investments, we'd do all right. I'm not saying that I want you to quit your job. If I wanted that, I wouldn't be volunteering to retire. All I'm saying is that, us being married can free you to do what you want to do with your life."

"I never realized you were so well off. How well are we talking here? Nevermind. I shouldn't have asked that. Umm…you know, I have some money saved, too. I had a college fund and then I got a scholarship, so, the money is still just sitting there. I've added to it, but, to be honest, I have no idea what the balance is right now."

"Are we really sitting around talking about money, right now?"

"You started it."

"Mmm. Well, let's get back to the topic we started on, shall we?"

"There's nothing left to talk about. I've heard your suggestion and I just think you need time to think about it."

"I have, Sara. I'm scheduled to go back to work the 22nd. That leaves sixteen and a half weeks until I can retire in May. I'll talk to Ecklie when I get back and let him know I'll only be working another 7 weeks then I'll turn in my last ten weeks of vacation. That will get me past my May 17th date. After that, we can get married. I was thinking July 7th. It's a Saturday and the date is cute; 7/7/07."

"Wow. You really have thought about this."

"Yeah."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive."

"So, we're getting married on 7/7/07, huh?"

He gathered her in his arms, "I love you so much."

"I love you, too. Let's never fight again, okay?"

"Okay."


	24. Chapter 24

24

On her first day back to work, everyone had a billion questions. Sara and Grissom hadn't come to the previous week's Friday breakfast, so everyone wanted to know about the cruise. She tried to answer everyone's questions while she kept up with her work. It was funny answering to Catherine, not Grissom, and even funnier not having him there at all. She'd thought a lot about what Grissom had told her about not having to work. Maybe she'd talk more about it when she got home.

His first night by himself was not that bad. He'd called a few of his contacts and scheduled a couple seminars in March, April and May, so he was doing some research. It kept him busy enough not to go crazy. He couldn't believe how much he missed her after only a couple hours. But it was nice to look around his apartment and see all of her things. She'd moved practically everything in. Her major furniture was still at her apartment, but they were thinking about switching some of his things out for hers. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible since she'd voluntarily given up her place.

When Sara finally got home, he was at the door to greet her. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"How was it?"

"It was fine."

"Just fine?"

"It was weird without you."

"Here, too. Anything new?"

"Um…there's an opening in day shift."

"Day shift?"

"Yeah, shift supervisor."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was thinking I might apply."

"Oh?"

"You know, until I figure out whether I want to keep working, I should at least keep my options open. Besides, if I work days, at least our schedule would be a little more normal. I mean, then we could at least sleep at night and go out to dinner at night like regular people."

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"I think it would be great if you got the job, if that's what you wanted."

"But?"

"No but. Hungry?"

"Yeah. A little."

"Fruit and oatmeal?"

"Sounds good. I'm going to go shower."

When she was walking away he said, "Hey!"

"What?"

"Can I have a kiss first?"

Sara laughed, walked back to give him a kiss then walked back to take her shower.

They ate breakfast on the couch while they told each other about their night. "I got a lot of research done for my seminars."

"Good. First one's in March, right? You've gotta write down the dates for me if you want me to go with you so I can ask for the days off."

"All right. So what's your first case?"

"My favorite; abuse."

"Spouse or child?"

"Both. Wife was murdered, though. Little girl wasn't so lucky."

"You think she'd be luckier, dead?"

"I just know how hard it was when I was little. I saw my father get murdered. I got all the looks. The foster homes were mostly bad. I hated it."

"But look at you, now. You made it through and now you're a strong, independent woman."

"I guess."

"So, you're sure the husband's guilty?"

"He confessed. The little girl pointed to her private parts and said her daddy touched her there. His fingerprints were on the knife and he had cuts on his hand where his hand slipped. The little girl saw everything. She locked herself in her room and called 911 like her mother taught her to. You know, if I felt like I needed to teach my daughter how to call 911 in case she saw my husband hurting me, I would have left."

"Not all women are as strong as you, Sara. So, the husband goes to jail and the little girl goes to foster care."

"And the brother."

"Brother?"

"Yeah, she has a baby brother. He's the lucky one. He's only a baby. He won't even know that he never knew his parents or his sister."

"There's no family that will take them?"

"I don't know, Grissom. You told me not to get involved."

"When has that ever stopped you?"

"No, there's no family. Grandparents are all dead. The father has one brother; incarcerated. Life sentence. The mother was an only child."

"I knew you'd know."

"God, Grissom. What is this world coming to? Why are there good people out there that would make such great parents that can't have children, but there are abusers and drug addicts out there who just keep popping them out? There are so many women out there that could give those two children a good home. But they'll get split up. The little girl's been abused and she's five. No one wants five year olds, especially if they've been abused. But the baby boy will be gone before you know it. A family will take him in and not even care that he has a sister. I wish someone could just see reality. I wish someone could understand how important it is for those two children to grow up together."

"Someone…like you?"

"Me? What are you talking about?"

"What about you? You understand how important it is for those two children to stay together. You know what it's like to grow up like that little girl. You'd make a wonderful mother."

"Me? Grissom! Do you remember the Collins case where you made me stay with the little girl?"

"Brenda?"

"Yeah! I'm not good with kids."

"I seem to remember that Brenda loved you. At one point, she wouldn't let you go. And, I believe, there was a point when you wouldn't let her go either."

"It…was a case."

"Yeah. And the letters?"

"Letters? Wh-What letters?"

"Sara! You and she wrote to each other for a while. She mailed the letters to you at CSI. I saw the envelopes."

"You do see everything."

"Mmm. Why did you stop writing?"

"One day, I mailed a letter to her and I got it back. I called the group home were she was and they said she'd been placed in a foster home. They said they felt like she needed time to adjust. They asked me to stop writing."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was a long time ago."

"That doesn't change the current situation."

"What situation, Grissom? There is no situation."

"Sara, all I'm trying to say is that…well…those children won't be put up for adoption until after the father stands trial. And even if it's not those children, maybe you could think about other children."

"Do you have any idea what you're talking about?"

"Yes."

"I don't think you do. You've been sitting here telling me that _I_ should look into adopting these children. That _I _could be a good mother to them."

"Yes."

"Grissom, there is no _I_ anymore."

"I realize that, Sara."

"You do?"

"Yes. But I can't make a decision for you. I know how strongly you feel about abused children and kids in foster care. All I was trying to say was that, maybe, if you wanted to, we could look into adopting. I don't know how you feel about wanting children, but I'm fifty years old, Sara. No offense, but you're 35. Isn't that the pre-determined cutoff age for bearing children? I'm not against trying, but…"

"Grissom! I can't believe we're talking about this. You? You actually want to have children?"

"I did when I was younger. Then, well, then my work became my child. And I guess I haven't thought about it until you…well…us. I don't think, no I know, I wouldn't be a good single father. But I think the two of us, together, could raise a nice family."

"Are you serious?"

"Don't I sound serious?"

"Yes. And it's kind of scary."

"Why?"

"Because I _never_ would have guessed that you _ever_ wanted children."

"Well, now you know. Listen, I'm happy just to be with you. I don't _need_ to have children. You and I will be a family with or without a child. All I'm saying is that, if you're interested in having children, adopted or not, I'm okay with that."

"Wow. I'm…stunned. I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Let's go get some sleep. When you feel like talking about it, I'll listen."


	25. Chapter 25

25

She was trying to fill out the form to apply for Day Shift Supervisor, but she couldn't concentrate. He wanted children. Where did that come from? She was in complete shock. What direction was her life moving in? Less than three months ago she was a single, somewhat miserable human being that buried herself in her work and was in love with a man out of her reach. Now, she was getting married to the same man she thought she'd never have, had the possibility of becoming a supervisor, or maybe not working at all and was talking about having children? What next, a white picket fence and a dog?

------------------------------------------------

He couldn't believe that he actually wanted children. It wasn't so much for him, but he thought it was something Sara needed. He knew she'd make a wonderful mother. Would it be so odd for the two of tem to have children? Of course, he was 50. If they adopted a baby, he'd be almost 70 by the time the child was grown. But, he was a healthy man. And having a child to raise would bring them closer. They'd be a real family. Funny, how the two of them had grown up without the typical family. Was it wrong to want to give a child what they had lost out on? Surely, not.

He was still in front of the computer doing research when she came home. Without a word, she walked over to him and dropped a manila file in front of him. She kissed his cheek and went straight to the shower.

When she came back into the room with a towel wrapped around her head, he was sitting on the couch with breakfast and coffee ready for her. "Are these copies of adoption applications?"

"Yes."

"So, you've thought about this?"

"Yes."

"And, obviously, you'd like to adopt."

"Yes."

"Okay. So fill me in."

"Well, thanks to our discussion yesterday, I got virtually no sleep and I barely made it through work. During my breaks, I went on the Internet and found these applications. Now, I realize that I put your name under husband and that's not technically correct, but all of these agencies have a 24-hour hotline. I called them and spoke to someone before I submitted the application. All of them said to just clarify our situation in the comment section. Personally, I think we'll have better luck with this agency." She pulled out one of the copies; "The gentleman I spoke to, Mr. Jensen, at this agency said that they've handled cases like this before. He said that if we could get consent from the father to hand the children over to us, we'd have a 95 chance that the adoption would go through without a hitch."

"95?"

"Well, we're not married yet and we'll have to get a home study done."

"Okay. So you found out all of this information today?"

"Yes."

"And you're really ready for this?"

"Yes."

"Okay. What else do I need to know?"

"Well, after our first application is approved, which Mr. Jensen said should be done later today, we'll get a packet in the mail to fill out and then we'll have to schedule a home study."

"Home study?"

"They have to come and see where we live and see if it's suitable for a child to live. Then they'll interview friends and neighbors to see if we're good people."

"So we should start looking for a new place to live then?"

"Hmm. Guess I never thought about that."

"All right. Anything else?"

"We'll need a lawyer."

"I have one."

"That handles adoptions?"

"We'll see. If not, I'm sure she can put us in touch with someone."

"Great." After a moment of silence, "Are we really doing this?"

"I guess so. Maybe we should have a plan, here."

"I think you're right."

"So, on our list is finding a new home, filling out our next application, getting this guy to agree to giving us his kids, having a home study done and getting married."

"I think that sums it up."

Grissom got up and walked to the phone. After dialing, "Jim? Grissom. I need a favor. I know it's asking a lot, but could you be my best man at my wedding later today?" Sara choked on her coffee. "Yeah, thanks. We were going to wait until July, but something's come up and we'd like to get married today." After a short pause, "No, nothing's wrong, we've, uh, just decided that we'd like to adopt a child and it would look better if we were married now instead of later." Sara's jaw dropped. "Great. So, I'll call you later with the details. I'm gonna try to book one of those gazebo weddings at that place on Las Vegas Blvd. You know, Viva Las Vegas…something." Another pause. "Thanks Jim." He pushed the 'end' button on the phone, walked over to her, handed her the phone and said, "You're turn."

With her jaw still dropped she started shaking her head, "I…can't believe you just did that."

"Well, I did. Now, I'll want to call and invite everyone else from the lab, but maybe, first, you should choose a matron of honor."

"Okay. Catherine?"

"Your choice."

She dialed Catherine's number, "Cath? Hey, it's Sara." Her conversation went about the same as his had. After she hung up she asked, "Did I just do that?"

"Yes you did."

"Grissom, what about your mother?"

"We'll go visit her next week sometime. She'll understand."

"Okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure. So, we have to get our marriage license today and call the rest of the gang after we make our reservations. Nothing's open this early, so how about some sleep?"


	26. Chapter 26

26

Luckily, it was Sara's night off so she didn't have to explain anything to Ecklie. The ceremony was small, private and beautiful. She wore her dress from the cruise and he wore his white tux. All their close friends were there and Catherine and Jim served as their witnesses. That night, they made love for the first time as husband and wife.

The next morning, she was woken up by a kiss and, "Good morning Mrs. Grissom."

She smiled, "Good morning."

"I know you're probably tired, but we have that appointment at the lawyer's office at eight."

"I'm up."

They had a full day ahead of them. After the appointment with their new lawyer, they headed for a local real estate agency. After they discussed their needs with the agent, she suggested they look at townhouses in gated communities. They looked through several choices, took some virtual tours and narrowed their list to only five. After looking at all five homes in person, they immediately eliminated one because there were two bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs. They didn't like the idea of having one or both children sleeping on a separate floor. Another they eliminated because the bedrooms were too small. A third, even though they liked the location the best, only had three bedrooms. After thinking about it, they decided they needed the forth bedroom to use as an office. They didn't need case files left out for children to look at.

With only two other choices, and no time to waste, they decided they would talk over lunch and meet the real estate agent at her office in an hour or so.

She held one file and he the other. "I like this one, Hon." She liked that he called her that.

"Why?"

"Because the pool is close, three of the bedrooms are upstairs, the dining area is well-lit and there's a fireplace in the living room."

"But this one has the laundry room right off the master bedroom. There's a Jacuzzi pool in the master bath, three bedrooms upstairs, a fireplace in the living room, carpeting throughout and the walls aren't all white. Besides, even though the pool is a little further away, the playground is really close."

"I thought you liked hard-wood floors."

"I do. But that has to be rough on children's knees."

"Ah. Good point."

"Besides, we'll probably be on the floor with them."

"Another good point."

"And, I like the breakfast bar in the kitchen."

"Okay. That one it is then."

"Really?"

"Yep."

They went back to the agent's office and made their offer. Next stop, the bank. The bank manager was waiting for them. "Good afternoon Mister Grissom."

"Hello, this is my wife, Sara."

"Nice to meet you."

"When we spoke on the phone, you said you were buying a home. Do you need me to set you up with a loan?"

Sara listened to the two men talk about cashing bonds and taking money out of savings, but didn't really fully understand. In the end, after a combination of funds, the decision was made to pay for half of the townhouse up front and finance the other half. After the loan application was completed and approved, they added Sara's name to all of his accounts. As they exited the bank, their real estate agent called to let them know the sellers took their bid.


	27. Chapter 27

27

The next few days flew by. They closed on the townhouse, filled out and sent back their second application for adoption. Sara finally met Grissom's mother. It was only a short visit because of their busy schedule, but one night was enough. Grissom spent the whole time interpreting between the two women. She could tell that his mother's approval of their marriage meant a lot to him. The love he had for his mother was something that would never be replaced. They'd just gotten back from California that morning and were now both seated in Ecklie's office.

"And you two didn't think it was necessary to talk to me _before_ you got married?"

Sara let Grissom do most of the talking. "No. It didn't concern you until now."

"So, Sara, you put in for the Day Shift Supervisor position. Are you still interested?"

"Yes, for now."

"For now? Sara, if I choose you, I don't want to have to replace you any time soon. I already have to replace Grissom."

"Well, I'll need some time off if the adoption goes through."

"Obviously. There's a policy for that."

"Okay. Then I'm still interested. No matter what, if I'm going to stay here, I want to switch to days. I don't want to work overnight with children at home."

"Understood. Well, as long as you're still interested, I'll let you know that I'd already decided to offer you the job."

"Really?"

"Surprised?"

"Yes. You and I haven't always gotten along."

"Neither have Gil and I, but that doesn't mean I don't think you're an asset to the lab. You've had your problems, but have taken the correct steps to fix them. Everyone deserves a chance, and I think this is yours. Don't let me down."

"Yes, Sir."

"As for you, Gil, I won't stand in your way. Obviously, until Sara transfers to days, you can't work here. If the adoption goes through, you're eligible for time off. Until then, you can just continue using your vacation. Come May, you can put in for your retirement. I'll make sure it gets approved."

"Thanks, Conrad."

28

A few weeks later, Sara was settled into her position as Day Shift Supervisor, they had a home full of furniture and had completed their home study. The adoption process was very smooth so far. Their lawyer and the agency took care of all the details and paperwork. The father had gone to trial and been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The only thing they were waiting for now was their final approval notice.

On a Thursday, Grissom showed up at the lab. She was surprised to see him, "Hi! What's up?"

"I couldn't wait until you got home. The letter came from the adoption agency."

She took a deep breath, "Did you read it?"

"No. I wanted us to do it together."

"Okay. Open it." She moved around her desk to sit next to him. They started reading the letter together, but Sara never got past the word 'Congratulations'. "We did it!" They both stood and he gathered her into his arms. "We really did it!"

"Yes we did. Let's go tell Conrad we're going to pick up our kids."

After filling out the paperwork and Sara briefing her temporary replacement on her cases, they left CSI and called their lawyer. He had received the same paperwork and assured them that everything was in order. After a call to the adoption agency, they were told they could pick the children up in a couple hours.

Following the longest couple hours of their lives, they were finally at Social Services to pick up their children. They were watching the little girl play through a two-way mirror while a women held the baby in the corner. The social worker was briefing them before they went in. "Little Joey shouldn't be a problem at all. He's a very good baby. The woman there, her name is Vicky, has been taking care of both children. She actually wanted to adopt Joey. But she didn't think she could handle Samantha. She hasn't spoken to anyone since she's been with us. Of course, our first goal is to keep the children together. That is why your request was met over hers."

"We're very thankful."

"I can see that, Mrs. Grissom. You look like you're about to explode with excitement. Uh, I would like to say one thing. The reason why Vicky has the children now is because our first two placements didn't work out with Samantha."

"What happened?"

"She…doesn't react well to men. Vicky is one of our few single foster mothers. The first father she was placed with couldn't come within ten feet of her without her screaming. The second went a little better. He could get near her, as long as the mother was in the room, but he could never touch her. Again, when he touched her, even her hand, she would just scream. Neither father could enter her bedroom."

"Thank you for the information, but my wife and I will be fine. Samantha just needs time."

"Okay. Well, let's load the children's things in your car and then you can come back to get them."

Sara asked, "Things? What things?"

"They have clothes and a few toys. And, of course, Joey has a car seat and Samantha has a booster seat."

"Uh…we'll take the clothes and toys, but we already have our own car seat and booster seat. We actually don't need the clothes or toys either, but we'll take them in case they have favorites."

After loading the couple of boxes and suitcases, they stood at the doorway to get their children. Grissom was the first to speak, "Until she's ready, you can get Samantha. I'll take Joey."

"Okay." After a deep breath, they walked into the room.

Grissom went to the corner to take Joey from Vicky. "Thank you very much for taking such good care of them."

"He's a very good baby. Congratulations to you both. I, uh, put my name and number in the inside of the diaper bag. You can call me if you need anything at all."

"That's very kind of you."

He turned, to see Sara seated on the floor near Samantha. "Hi, Samantha. Do you remember me?" The little girl didn't speak, but nodded her head 'yes'. "Good. So you know that I'm here to help, right?" After another nod, "Okay. Remember when I told you that I was never going to let anyone hurt you any more?" Another nod. "Well, I'm here to make sure I can keep that promise. See that man over there holding your baby brother?" Another nod. "Well, that man is my husband. He and I have been working very hard to make sure you and Joey are safe from now on. We have papers to say that we can take you home with us and keep you safe. Would that be okay with you?" Samantha just stared at her. "I know that this is scary for you. When I was a little girl, I was afraid, too. My Daddy died like your Mommy died. I had dreams about it at night. Do you have bad dreams?" The girl nodded her head and a tear rolled down her cheek. "They'll go away, Sam. Can I tell you a secret?" She nodded. Sara leaned a little closer and whispered, "When I'm scared, I cry too. Do you know what makes me feel better?" Samantha shook her head. "Ice cream. Does ice cream make you feel better?" She shook her head. "No? How about French fries?" She shook her head again. "Pizza?" Samantha shook her head again then got up, walked across the room and picked up a book that was on the floor by the door. She brought it back to Sara. "You want me to read you this story?" The little girl nodded.

Sara looked over at Grissom, who had taken a seat in the corner with little Joey in his arms. He nodded his head and Sara started reading the book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. When the book was done, Samantha surprised Sara and gave her a hug. When she pulled back, Sara asked her, "Would it be okay if you and Joey came home with us, now?" Samantha replied by sitting on Sara's lap and curling her head into her neck. Sara was crying now and looked over to see tears in her husband's eyes too.

From behind her, the social worker said, "The book is hers."

Sara shook her head and stood with their daughter in her arms. Grissom walked over to her, holding their son and said, "Let's go home."


	28. Chapter 28

Epilogue

(December 2007)

Sara and Grissom were sitting on the floor by the tree trying to teach Joey to walk while they waited for Samantha to wake up. When she finally came downstairs, her eyes wide with shock, she ran to Sara and jumped in her lap.

"Are you ready to open your presents now?" Samantha nodded her head and Sara handed her the first gift. After over two hours of Samantha and Joey opening gifts, they were finally done. They weren't surprised when their daughter went right for the pile of books.

Grissom stood to clean up the wrapping paper that covered their living room floor while Sara went to change Joey's diaper. When she came back, tears welled up in her eyes. Their daughter was seated in her father's lap while he read her one of her new books. Samantha looked up when Grissom paused in his reading. She reached out as if to ask Sara to sit with them. When she sat, she could see that her husband was barely getting the words of the book out of his mouth through his tears.

She wiped his eyes when he was finished with the book. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sara."

"I love you, too."

They both shot looks down at the little voice they'd never heard before. It was Sara who spoke first. "We love you, too, Sam."

"Daddy, will you read me another book? You're a better reader than Mommy."

Sara laughed through her tears as Grissom finally spoke, "Sam, I will read you any book you want, any time you want me to." He turned the little girl in his arms and gathered his daughter in his arms for the first time. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Daddy."

They spent the rest of the day on the floor playing with all the new toys and reading most of Samantha's new books. From the outside, a stranger would think they were a perfect family. And they'd be right.


End file.
